FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TINTI: Casa Pueblo, Alexis Massol and the teacher who helped defend Puerto Rico’s mountains
Free in Spanish, Eliud Lamboy’s 56-minute film invites Puerto Rican families on the island and in the diaspora to share Tinti’s legacy with children and grandchildren.
October 1, 2026 — TINTI: Casi Perdemos Puerto Rico (When We Almost Lost Puerto Rico), a documentary by Eliud Lamboy about Faustina “Tinti” Deyá Díaz, Alexis Massol González and Casa Pueblo’s community resistance to open-pit mining, is available in full, in Spanish and at no cost on YouTube. From the mountains of Adjuntas, the film tells the story of a teacher who helped turn love for her hometown into a practice of organizing and defending the land.
Set in Adjuntas, the film explores Tinti and Alexis’s lives and their work as co-founders of the Taller de Arte y Cultura de Adjuntas, which became Casa Pueblo. Alexis, a civil engineer and 2002 Goldman Environmental Prize recipient, describes how the movement developed an approach that brought science, culture and community together.
The documentary recalls a difficult beginning: Alexis says that only one person came to their first public activity. Later, he describes an action organized by Tinti in which 800 students used their bodies to spell “NO MINAS” — “NO MINES.” These accounts raise a central question: how does a community help more people become active participants in shaping its future?
The film also explores Tinti and Alexis’s relationship through their letters and the role of Café Madre Isla, crafts, concerts and kite festivals in community life. It connects environmental protection with education, Puerto Rican culture and community self-governance.
For Puerto Ricans who lived through the 1980s and 1990s, whether on the island or now in the diaspora, TINTI offers a way to revisit this history with their children and grandchildren. The film invites families to watch together and discuss Puerto Rico’s mountains, rivers and Tinti’s legacy. Educators, community organizations and Spanish-language media interested in interviewing Eliud Lamboy or coordinating a discussion or screening can contact the director at the address below. A Spanish press release is available on the official website.
The documentary is already available. Separately, Eliud Lamboy’s current GoFundMe campaign raises funds for his LLC to create new films that build awareness of rainforest protection. Current campaign details are available on GoFundMe.
Film details
- Title: TINTI — When We Almost Lost Puerto Rico
- Director: Eliud Lamboy
- Executive producer: Patrick Perez Vidauri
- Running time: 56 minutes
- Film language: Spanish
- Access: complete documentary, free on YouTube
Watch the film · Official website · Current fundraiser
Press contact
Patrick Perez Vidauri — executive producer
[email protected]
Eliud Lamboy — director
[email protected]
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