Caribbean Narratives
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The Caribbean Narratives collection includes the following titles:
In a Whisper
A media voz
Documentary
Spain, France, Switzerland, Cuba
Filmmakers and best friends since childhood, both part of the Cuban diaspora, share how they found themselves and each other in a foreign land.
Santo Domingo Waltz
Vals de Santo Domingo
Documentary
Dominican Republic
An exploration of machismo culture through the eyes of the only three male ballet students in a class of 20 in the Dominican Republic.
Vicenta B
Drama, Fiction
Cuba, France, United States, Colombia, Norway
A gifted Afro-Cuban woman with the unique ability to see into the future finds herself in a crisis when her only son decides to leave the country.
Thicker than Water
Más que el agua
Drama, Romance
Puerto Rico
The unexpected arrival of a romance that upends a young man's expectations of happiness.
La Suprema
Drama, Fiction
Colombia
When Laureana finds out that her uncle is fighting in a boxing world championship, she gets the whole town on board with watching it live on national television. The problem? The village has no electricity or a TV set.
The Padilla Affair
El Caso Padilla
Documentary
Spain, Cuba
A startling documentary about the poet Heberto Padilla that opens a window into the past and offers insights into Cuba’s current crisis.
Calls from Moscow
Llamadas desde Moscú
Documentary
Cuba, Germany, Norway
An apartment in Moscow becomes the stage for one day in the lives of four queer Cuban exiles, shortly before Putin’s invasion of Ukraine changes everything.
Fidel
Documentary
United States
Just 9 years after Cuba's Revolution, filmmaker Saul Landau joined Fidel Castro in Cuba for an unprecedented interview for this classic documentary.
Familiar Tale
Relato familiar
Documentary
Mexico
At 83 and living in Mexico, Yukio Saeki can still hear the echo of a hot Monday morning, as he walked toward the ocean while the atomic bomb fell.
Exploiting Eden, Île-à-Vache
Explotando el edén, Île-à-Vache
Documentary
Haiti, Spain
The Haitian government makes a tourist destination out of the unspoiled beach of Île-à-Vache. Great for prosperity. A nightmare for local islanders.
Burn Them
Quémenlos
Documentary
Argentina
The order to burn books was only a warning of what thousands of men and women who resisted the prevailing dictatorship in Argentina would face.
Boca Chica
Drama, Fiction
Dominican Republic
Desi's days unfold in the delicate balance between the vivid dreams of becoming an artist and the subdued reality that frames her daily life.
Babygirl
La hembrita
Drama, Fiction
Dominican Republic
A high-class woman has one of her maid's granddaughters under her care. She must decide between giving the girl back or keeping her in the family.
The Eighth Floor
Le huitième étage, jours de révolte
Documentary, Drama
Canada
The life of of Front de Libération du Québec's Jacques Lanctôt, on his return to Havana's Hotel Nacional— which sheltered him during his 1970s exile.
Baracoa. 500 Years Later
Baracoa. 500 años después
Documentary
Cuba, Spain
Baracoa, the small town surrounded by mountains and rivers, is immersed in its own legend and in the work and dreams of its people. It prevails half a millennium from the day in which Christopher Columbus planted the “Parra” Cross on its shore. It was Cuba’s initial capital.
Carajita
Fiction, Drama
Dominican Republic, Argentina
Sara and her nanny Yarisa have a relationship that transcends class and race: they are close to a daughter-mother; but an accident will test their intimate loyalty.
Elena
Documentary
United States, Dominican Republic
When the Dominican Republic’s Supreme Court stripped the citizenship of anyone with Haitian parents, Elena becomes the face of the struggle against the opaque bureaucratic process and a racist, hostile society, to stay in a country built on the labor of her forefathers.
Filiberto
Documentary
Venezuela, Puerto Rico
A biopic documentary about Filiberto Ojeda Ríos, a professional musician who abandons his trumpet and his family to live a clandestine, armed revolutionary life.
Miriam Lies
Miriam miente
Drama, Fiction
Spain, Dominican Republic
A quinceañera celebration exposes how racial prejudices affect a teenage girl’s choices, while shooting sharp criticism at the heart and mind of Caribbean society.
On the Starting Line
La arrancada
Documentary
Cuba, France
This intimate family chronicle, seen from the perspective of two women, unfolds the portrait of a generation unsure of what’s next in Cuba.
Cacu: A Change for Life
Cacú: un cambio por la vida
Documentary
Dominican Republic
With electrifying images, Cacu: A Change for Life follows five fishermen from Manresa, a poor neighborhood to the West of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, as they learn from marine biologist Omar Shamir Reynoso's one-of-a-kind plan to protect nesting sea turtles.
Everybody Leaves
Todos se van
Drama, Fiction, Romance
Colombia, Cuba
A celebration of freedom and a confrontation of the authoritarian Cuban regime of the 1980s, which led to one of the country’s worst economic crises. The film is based on the award-winning novel by Cuban writer Wendy Guerra.
A Film About Couples
Una película sobre parejas
Fiction, Drama, Comedy
Dominican Republic
Equal parts a candid exposition of the cinematic industry and a joyful exploration of marriage.
A History of an Assignment
Istoria odnoi komandirovki
Documentary
Russia
A film depicting the ins and outs of the Cuban Missile Crisis in the 1960s features Castro, Kennedy, and Khrushchev as protagonists.
Before a Rooster Crows
Antes que cante el gallo
Drama, Fiction
Puerto Rico
Carmín is a teenager who lives in Barranquitas, a mountainous village in the center of Puerto Rico, with her tough and conservative grandmother, dreaming to moving to the city with a mother whose planed do not include her.
Black in Latin America, Ep. 01 - Haiti & Dominican Republic: An Island Divided
Documentary, Series
United States
In the Dominican Republic, Professor Gates explores how race has been socially constructed, while In Haiti, hear the story of the birth of the first-ever black republic.
Black in Latin America, Ep. 02 - Cuba: The Next Revolution
Documentary, Series
United States
In Cuba, Gates finds out how the culture, religion, politics and music are linked to slave labor, and how race and racism have fared since Fidel Castro’s Communist revolution in 1959.
Cows Wearing Glasses
Las vacas con gafas
Drama, Fiction
Puerto Rico
Directed by one of the most talented emerging filmmakers coming out of the new wave of Puerto Rican cinema, Cows Wearing Glasses uses a subtle sense of humor to touch upon issues of aging.
Dicing with Death, Ep. 03 - Nicaragua: In the Name of the Law
Nicaragua: Au nom de la loi
Documentary, Series
France
On the Caribbean with the Miskito fishermen, you see a spark in people's eyes. A spark that must be kept quiet to avoid a dynamite explosion, which could blow up an entire village.
Dicing with Death, Ep. 05 - Cuba: Viva la Vida
Cuba: Viva la vida
Documentary, Series
France
In Cuba, no matter the obstacles, people keep smiling and moving forward.
Extra Terrestres
Extra terrestres
Comedy, Drama, Fiction, Romance
Venezuela, Puerto Rico
Teresa, an astrophysicist, goes back to her family in Puerto Rico to invite them to her wedding. This is not an easy task after years of tension, but a star 2.5 million light years away will help to bring them all together again.
Fidelandia: Behind the Curtain of Cuba's Revolution
Documentary
Cuba, United States
Fidelandia takes a look at the country’s culture post Fidel’s fifty-year reign, exploring how the youth deals with the influence of Western culture impacting the country by way of tourism, the use of illegal Internet, and television.
Gabo & Cinema
Gabo y el cine
Documentary
Mexico
A commendable and well documented contribution to the general study of Nobel Prize winner Gabriel García Márquez’s cultural production. In the voice of his friends and accomplices, the documentary takes us beyond his literary figure and immerses us in his cinematic one.
Heritage
Herencia
Documentary
Spain
A showcase of modern Cuban culture and the centuries of history that precede it.
Horizons
Horizontes
Documentary
Cuba, Switzerland
Alicia Alonso’s splendor still radiates throughout the world of ballet today. A star so brilliant, she has captivated audiences worldwide. Even now at the age of ninety, she continues to encourage the dreams of young dancers who seek to follow in her footsteps.
In Havana
Documentary
The Netherlands
Three kids in Havana introduce their friends and family, showcasing wildly different lifestyles. We learn their beliefs, dreams, and hopes.
Lake Los Angeles
Drama
United States
A middle-aged Cuban man and a ten-year-old Mexican girl bond over being away from home in the hopeless back-drop that is Lake Los Angeles.
339 Amín Abel Hasbun. Memory of a Crime
339 Amín Abel Hasbún. Memoria de un crimen
Drama, Fiction, Thriller
Dominican Republic
An intriguing account of the murder of Amín Abel Hasbún, a brilliant student leader in the Dominican Republic accused of kidnapping US Embassy official, J. Crowley. Hasbún was fighting against the repressive government of Dr. Joaquín Balaguer.
Lessons for Luca
Documentary
The Netherlands
In this mesmerizing family saga, a personal story is inseparably intertwined with the history of Cuba when a farmer gets a six-year sentence for selling his own cow.
Miguelito: A Song to Puerto Rico
Miguelito: canto a Borinquen
Documentary, Musical
Colombia, Australia, Puerto Rico
Reminiscent of Searching for Sugar Man, the filmmaker follows the steps of Puerto Rico's child music sensation Miguelito. Featuring incredible archival footage of NYC in the 70s’ and salsa performances from Papo Lucca’s La Sonora Poncena, Malo Malo and many others, this is a film that celebrates the musical and cultural depth of the Caribbean.
On the Roof
El techo
Comedy, Drama, Fiction, Romance
Cuba, Nicaragua
A deliciously offbeat romantic comedy from Cuba, On the Roof doesn’t shy away from tackling the problems facing contemporary youth.
Return to Cuba
Volver a Cuba
Documentary
Cuba, Canada
After 18 years living in Italy, Barbara Ramos returns to live in the town of Santa Clara, in Cuba, her homeland. Through the projects of family and friends, she discovers what has changed, what hasn’t, and what will likely never change in her country.
Song for Cuba
Documentary, Experimental
Canada
A young Cuban couple chart a new course for themselves on an island in the North Atlantic.
Tania Libre
Tania libre
Documentary
Cuba, United States, Germany
In a fascinating and novel approach, Lynn Hershman Leeson allows us to eavesdrop on one of the world’s most celebrated—and daring—Cuban artists, Tania Bruguera’s session with Dr. Frank Ochberg, a New York-based psychiatrist and pioneer in post-traumatic stress disorder and the Stockholm syndrome.
The Companion
El acompañante
Drama, Fiction, Thriller
Cuba
Set in 1988 Cuba as the government dispatched HIV patients to AIDS centers under military rule, The Companion narrates the unlikely friendship between a boxing champion and a conflictive patient.
The Cuban Wives
Las esposas cubanas
Documentary
Cuba
The compelling and tragic story of five Cuban intelligence agents who were arrested in the US in 1998 for their attempt to protect their country from terrorist attacks of paramilitary organizations operating from Miami. Essential viewing for the understanding of U.S.-Cuba relations.
Transit Havana
Documentary
Cuba, Germany, The Netherlands
The journeys of transgender individuals in Cuba as they navigate societal challenges and wait for annual surgeries provided by visiting surgeons.
Without Prescription
Receta no incluida
Drama, Fiction
Puerto Rico
Olivia's obsessive-compulsive voice in her head, which was under control, suddenly returns, prompting a search for the pills that once helped.
You and Me
Tú y yo
Documentary, Comedy, Drama
Dominican Republic
The Mrs., a 70-year-old widow, and Aridia, her young maid, live in isolation in a house in Santo Domingo where domestic chores keep them occupied.