Vote For Me! Prior to serving in the New York State Assembly, Denis directed TV commercials and several short films, and wrote eight screenplays. His screenplays won awards from the
New York State Council on the Arts, the
New York Foundation for the Arts, and CineFestival. Starring Malik Yoba (
New York Undercover,
Soul Food,
Cool Runnings); Chi Chi Salazar (
Scarface (1983 film),
Carlito's Way); Ricardo Barber (
The Feast of the Goat);
Vote For Me! was a comedy about a 75-year-old Puerto Rican super who runs for the United States Congress. The film was based on Denis's own experiences in East Harlem. Many East Harlem residents, musicians, and even local politicians appeared in the film, which "blurred the line between reality and fiction to capture the spectacle of New York City politics."
Vote For Me! also received national coverage from
Fox News Channel,
National Public Radio,
Univision,
Telemundo,
WSKQ FM,
MEGA FM,
WADO-AM,
WNYC, VIVA Magazine,
El Diario La Prensa,
El Nuevo Dia, Siempre, Hoy, and other news outlets.
Make America Great Again Denis wrote, produced and directed the feature film
Make America Great Again, a dark comedy about the immigrant experience in America, which premiered at the
Chelsea Film Festival in New York City. According to
The Huffington Post, "The film traces the adventures of Rogelio Yola, a dreamer from the
Dominican Republic who comes to America in search of a job, gets falsely accused of terrorism, and is chased by ICE agents for nearly half the movie. Aside from one of the most outrageous chase sequences in recent cinema history, the film offers an intelligent, ironic and politically astute vision of US immigration policy."
NBC News noted that "
Make America Great Again was shot in the diverse neighborhood of
Washington Heights in New York City. Denis intentionally incorporated local landmarks like the
United Palace Theater, the Iwo Jima Memorial, the
Morris-Jumel Mansion, the
Audubon Ballroom (where
Malcolm X was shot), and the
George Washington Bridge into the film, to make his characters' surroundings part of their story." Long Island Weekly reported that, "With the daily political narrative being defined within a truth-is-stranger-than-fiction framework, filmmaker Nelson Denis has taken a satirical crack at addressing these strange times we currently live in. The former
New York State Assemblyman and acclaimed author of
War Against All Puerto Ricans recently shot
Make America Great Again, a feature film that takes a look at the trials and travails of an undocumented immigrant from the Dominican Republic, played by Angel "Chi Chi" Salazar (
Scarface (1983 film)." In New York City, the film received additional newspaper and radio coverage from the Latino press, and was invited to the
Chelsea Film Festival, for a world premiere on October 20, 2018. While playing in movie theatres throughout the island, the film received major coverage from the island's largest newspapers.
War Against All Puerto Ricans Denis is the author of
War Against All Puerto Ricans, which was published on April 7, 2015. The book is based on recently declassified
FBI files, congressional testimony, oral histories, personal interviews and eyewitness accounts. It covers the
Puerto Rican Nationalist Party Revolts of the 1950s, a series of coordinated armed protests for the independence of Puerto Rico led by the president of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party, Don
Pedro Albizu Campos. The book also documents how the
U.S. Army arrested 3,000 Puerto Ricans, deployed thousands of troops and bombarded two towns in order to stop the uprising - the only time in history that the U.S. government intentionally bombed its own citizens.
Mother Jones called the book "The lost history of Puerto Rico's independence movement."
VIBE Magazine wrote that "
War Against All Puerto Ricans, in obvious wake of the island's economic turmoil, is relevant in understanding, full circle, why Puerto Rico is where it is today."
Kirkus Reviews described the book as "a scathing examination of American colonial policy in Puerto Rico...a pointed, relentless chronicle of a despicable part of past American foreign policy." In
La Respuesta, the reviewer praised "the book's historical value...a must-read for anyone interested in learning more about Puerto Rico."
Gozamos reported that "Nelson Denis doesn't just give us history. He gives us history on fire…a thoroughly researched indictment of over a
century of U.S. policy toward one small island…a full-throated eulogy of brave heroes, men and women of conviction, who devoted every drop of their blood to a people and a principle."
War Against All Puerto Ricans was featured on national and local television, including
Democracy Now! Denis also appeared in radio broadcasts around the US, including the
Brian Lehrer Show in New York,
Mother Jones, The
New York Daily News noted that the
Independence Party of Puerto Rico scheduled an eight-town tour for the book on the island of Puerto Rico. The Daily News also reported that the book "has become the subject of political water-cooler talk, national TV and newspaper coverage - including a three-part series of articles in
El Nuevo Dia - and a letter from Puerto Rico's governor,
Alejandro Garcia Padilla, to the book's domestic distributor recognizing its significance." The book has stirred some controversy. One historian questioned Denis' writing style and "resourceful imagination." Another stated that it contained "extraordinary and incredible assertions" and that Chapter 14 should have "more references." Denis responded to these concerns with a detailed article in the
University of Puerto Rico newspaper,
Diálogo UPR. Denis also wrote the screenplay adaptation of his book
War Against All Puerto Ricans. According to
The Daily News a feature film of
War Against All Puerto Ricans was being planned from this screenplay and several actors, including
Luís Guzmán, were strongly interested in the project. ==See also==