Agliberto Meléndez will be laid to rest at the Blandino Funeral Home.
Filmmaker, cultural manager and founder of the Dominican National Film Library , Agliberto Meléndez , will be laid out this Thursday, July 3, starting at 11:00 a.m. and will be transferred this Friday, July 4, at 12:00 p.m. to the Puerta del Cielo Cemetery where he will receive a Christian burial.
The family, consisting of 18 siblings , nephews, and other relatives, shared details of the funeral services on social media.
His death , confirmed by the General Directorate of Cinema (Dgcine), occurred early this morning at his residence, where he was recovering from health problems.
"Today, Dominican culture loses one of its great pioneers. The General Directorate of Film (Dgcine) and its Dominican Film Library deeply regret the passing of Agliberto Meléndez , filmmaker, cultural manager, and founder of our Film Library," the organization said in a statement.
- Various figures lamented his passing and praised his mark on Dominican culture.
The Minister of Culture and filmmaker, Roberto Ángel Salcedo , expressed that his legacy, with works such as " Un Pasaje de ida " (1988) and " Buscando un sueño " (1997), "marked a new stage in the way of telling extraordinary stories on the big screen."
"I offer my condolences to his family and friends . His vision and passion for Dominican cinema will continue to inspire generations . May his soul rest," he said.
Meléndez was born in Altamira, Puerto Plata , in 1942. His training in film began at New York University, where he studied for two years before returning to his country with a clear vision: to lay the foundations for a modern Dominican cinematography.
In 1979 he founded the Dominican National Film Library , an unprecedented space that marked generations of film buffs, critics and creators.
For years, he sustained the institution virtually single-handedly, facing political instability and a lack of support. The Cinemateca became a cultural bastion until its closure in 1986, following Joaquín Balaguer's rise to power.
That same year, Meléndez began his masterpiece: " Un Pasaje de ida " (One Way Ticket) (1988), the first Dominican film shot with professional standards and an authorial eye, inspired by the tragedy of the freighter Regina Express , in which 22 Dominicans died while trying to reach New York clandestinely. To make it, he mortgaged his house and used all his resources.
The film was a cultural phenomenon , attracting nearly 100,000 people to theaters across the country and receiving awards at festivals such as Huelva, Cartagena de Indias, and Havana.
Meléndez was also a public servant . Between 1982 and 1986, he directed Radio Televisión Dominicana (RTVD), chaired the organizing committee of the National Institute of Culture , and served as a cultural advisor to the Presidency. He also promoted festivals, wrote unfilmed scripts such as Lucinda and Testimonio, and produced the film Cuatro hombres y un ataúd (1996), directed by Pericles Mejía.
His latest film was " In the Color of Night " (2015), based on the life of political leader José Francisco Peña Gómez . With it, he reaffirmed his commitment to highlighting stories that connect with the Dominican identity .
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