The film tells the story of Edwin ‘Pauco’ Font, a 61-year old third generation fisherman from Rincón, a small surfing town on the West coast of Puerto Rico. Since the late 1960’s, small fishing villages like Rincón have undergone expansive costal development, driven by tourism and the growing demand for beachfront property.  The film follows Pauco in his battle against a local developer planning to build a mega condo project on one of Rincón’s most popular public beaches.

Throughout the film, we come to understand Pauco’s motivation to fight the development. Since the explosion of tourism, he and other residents of Rincón have seen the white sand beaches of their hometown lose between 1 and 3 meters of volume a year due to erosion. Interviews with Marine Science experts explain that coastal development is one of the primary factors causing beaches in Rincón to disappear. Coastal development is not only worsening the problem of erosion but is also limiting beach access.

In 2001, Pauco sued the Puerto Rican Planning Board for granting the developers fraudulent permits to build the project. After an 8-year battle in court, the fishermen were able to prove that the “Reina del Mar” project would be in public domain lands. The ruling created an unprecedented victory and a source of inspiration for hundreds of communities around the island that are dealing with similar issues, in what seems to be an out of control quest to develop Puerto Rico’s coastline.

The Edge of the Sea was selected to be part of Season 5 of the Emmy Award Winning series Natural Heroes. The film will be seen on Public Television in the United States throughout 2011. For more info go to:

http://naturalheroes.org/season5/theedgeofthesea.html

[CREDITS]

Producer / Director  Maria Jose (Majo) Calderon

Camera and Sound  Molly Snyder-Fink

Production Assistant  Oliver Bencosme

Archival Researcher  Marel Malaret

Original Score  “Mijo de la Palma” performed by Melvin López

Graphics  Yvan Iturriaga

Editor  Maria Jose (Majo) Calderon

Duration  26:30 minutes

Language  Spanish with English subtitles

Puerto Rico, 2009.

Since the explosion of tourism in the mid 1960s, Rincón has experienced strong social and economic changes. Formerly a people devoted to agriculture and fisheries, tourism is now the foundation of the economy. Rincón is today one of the most popular tourist destinations of the island, which has led to an accelerated development of its coastline. The absence of local planning zoning has enabled the development of hotel complexes and condominiums in the shoreline area. This type of construction has caused erosion to the coast, and coupled with climate change and marine pollution is threatening the beaches, corals and biodiversity that depends on it.

In 2000, members of the Surfrider Foundation and other environmental groups went to Rincón alerted by members of the community about a proposal to build three mega developments that would threaten Tres Palmas. For more than eight years, community members and activists have made an arduous campaign to save Tres Palmas.

This documentary is expected to serve as a source of inspiration for other communities in Puerto Rico and the world about the importance of protecting and preserving our natural resources.

[CREDITS]

Producer / Director  Maria Jose (Majo) Calderon

Executive Producers  Chad Nelsen / Leon Richter

Camera  Maria Jose (Majo) Calderon / Oliver Bencosme

Editor  Maria Jose (Majo) Calderon

Music  Melvin López (“Mijo de la Palma”) / La Republica / Diego Calderon

Duration  25 minutes

Language  Spanish and English with English/Spanish subtitles

Puerto Rico, 2009.