Top of page

Film, Video El Motor: Coffee and the Heart of Puerto Rico

Transcript: TEXT

About this Item

Title

  • El Motor: Coffee and the Heart of Puerto Rico

Summary

  • "El Motor: Coffee and the Heart of Puerto Rico" immerses viewers in the world of Puerto Rican coffee, revealing how this cherished crop serves as both economic lifeline and cultural heartbeat. Through intimate portraits of generational farmers, dedicated harvesters, and innovative processors, "El Motor" uncovers the profound relationship between the land, its people, and the coffee that has shaped Puerto Rico's identity for centuries. The film captures the challenges of farming alongside moments of triumph, revealing how Puerto Rico's coffee farmers preserve tradition while adapting for the future. From the careful selection of ripe cherries to the rhythmic drying of beans under the Caribbean sun, witness how coffee sustains families and fuels the island's spirit. More than a crop, coffee emerges as el motor-the enduring engine of cultural pride, community resilience, and hope for generations to come. Filmmaker Russell Oliver is a recipient of a 2022 American Folklife Center's Community Collections Grant for his project, "Documenting the Stories, Agricultural Traditions, and Culture of Specialty Coffee Farmers in Puerto Rico." This year's American Folklife Center Homegrown Foodway Film series is dedicated to celebrating the American Folklife Center Community Collections Grants program recipients, their projects and community traditions. The Community Collections Grants program is part of the Library's "Of the People: Widening the Path initiative."

Event Date

  • June 25, 2025

Running Time

  • 31 minutes 5 seconds

Online Format

  • video
  • image
  • online text

Rights & Access

While the Library of Congress created most of the videos in this collection, they include copyrighted materials that the Library has permission from rightsholders to present.  Rights assessment is your responsibility.  The written permission of the copyright owners in materials not in the public domain is required for distribution, reproduction, or other use of protected items beyond that allowed by fair use or other statutory exemptions. There may also be content that is protected under the copyright or neighboring-rights laws of other nations.  Permissions may additionally be required from holders of other rights (such as publicity and/or privacy rights). Whenever possible, we provide information that we have about copyright owners and related matters in the catalog records, finding aids and other texts that accompany collections. However, the information we have may not be accurate or complete.

More about Copyright and other Restrictions

For guidance about compiling full citations consult Citing Primary Sources.

Credit Line: Library of Congress

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

El Motor: Coffee and the Heart of Puerto Rico. 2025. Video. https://www.loc.gov/item/webcast-11745/.

APA citation style:

(2025) El Motor: Coffee and the Heart of Puerto Rico. [Video] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/webcast-11745/.

MLA citation style:

El Motor: Coffee and the Heart of Puerto Rico. 2025. Video. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/webcast-11745/>.