HGFF Cuba Libre

“To war, to war, to war we soon shall go.”
It’s 1898 and the Americans have come to Cuba. They have come to defeat the Spanish, to occupy the island as their own. Within this war-torn landscape, two young boys - Simon and Samuel - are growing up. Growing up amid the gunfire and politics of this brutal turf war between two of the world’s greatest powers. Their story begins in an impoverished primary school run by the church, where the children are taught that Spain will never be defeated. Cuba Libre charts their rough journey into adolescence, through the division of identities, the struggle between Spain and America. Which side will the boys fall on?

Havana-born director Jorge Luis Sanchez brings this intense chapter of Cuban history to life in Cuba Libre, tackling the difficulties of war through the eyes of children.

This film will be screening with English subtitles.