Bienvenida Matias invites audiences to watch Coquito as the documentary begins reaching communities in Puerto Rico and across the United States. She reflects on the joy at the heart of the tradition—a drink that brings people together through family, celebration, and shared culture.

Bienvenida Matias takes us inside the recording studio as composer Bayuán Ríos, musicians, and sound engineers create the score for Coquito. She reflects on the excitement of watching Puerto Rican history, culture, and shared memories take shape through music.

Bienvenida Matias reflects on the essential role music plays in Coquito and in Puerto Rican culture. Working with composer Bayuán Ríos, the film draws on traditional instruments and musical roots to give greater depth to its exploration of Puerto Rican history, identity, and culture.

Bienvenida Matias reflects on how the audience for Coquito grew beyond the Puerto Rican community to include anyone who has left one place to build a life in another. At its heart, the film asks a universal question: How do we carry our culture, memories, and history with us when we move?

Bienvenida Matias connects Puerto Rico’s political and economic history with her own family’s experience of migration to New York. Through her research for Coquito, she encounters people and communities preserving memories of island life, labor, food, and traditions across generations.

Coquito Director Bienvenida Matias reflects on the importance of collaboration in creating Coquito, drawing on the knowledge and experiences of academics, activists, and community members. Their contributions help ground the documentary in the voices of people who know and carry Puerto Rican history.

Bienvenida Matias explores the connection between Coquito, agriculture, and efforts to preserve Puerto Rico’s fertile land. Through the stories of people returning to farming, the film considers what it means for an island that imports most of its food to reclaim its ability to grow and sustain its own communities.

Bienvenida Matias reflects on the National Archives of Puerto Rico as an essential resource for understanding the island’s history and transformation. Archival photographs, films, and documents help Coquito trace the connections between poverty, economic change, migration, and the experiences of generations of Puerto Ricans.

Bienvenida Matias shares how a New York coquito competition inspired what would become a much larger exploration of Puerto Rican history, culture, and migration. What began with a beloved holiday drink became a journey into the ingredients, traditions, and memories Puerto Ricans carried with them from the island to new communities in the United States.

Filmmaker, photographer, and writer Bienvenida Matias introduces herself and reflects on a career rooted in documentary storytelling. She shares the importance of Puerto Ricans telling their own stories and preserving their history, culture, and lived experiences through film.