VOICES FROM MARIEL

Synopsis:
On April 1 1980, five political dissidents seeking asylum crashed a bus through the gates of the Peruvian embassy in Havana, Cuba. In the following days, 10,000 people stormed the embassy grounds, signifying wide-spread disdain for Cubas dictatorship. Fearing that continued civil unrest might cause further violence, Fidel Castro proclaimed that any Cuban wishing to leave the country could board a boat at the nearby port of Mariel. In what some considered a bold move, Castro emptied jails and insane asylums and forced criminals and the mentally ill to board refugee boats. While only a small percentage of the 125,000 Mariel refugees were actually criminals, Castro succeeded in tarnishing the image of those fleeing the country. For the vast majority of those who left Cuba, this was the beginning of a perilous journey to freedom. The exile would mean not only leaving personal possessions behind, but a separation from family that could last a lifetime. For the Marielitos, the cost of their mass exodus was outweighed by something previously unimaginable: a chance to pursue their dreams. Dr. Jose Garca left through Mariel as a 13 year-old boy. Thirty years later, his journey of self discovery takes us through personal accounts of people whose lives were transformed by El Mariel; those who left and those who stayed behind. Culminating with his long anticipated trip back to his birthplace, we see the emotional reunion of family and friends as we explore and listen to the unheard Voices From Mariel.

Short Synopsis: Discontented with political and economic oppression, 125,000 Cubans fled their homes through the port of Mariel and sailed to the United States in 1980. Thirty years later, one Marielito risks returning to a country that rejected him in search of friends and loved ones he left behind. Woven around his journey, other voices from Mariel tell stories of leaving their homeland and coming to the United States. Logline: Thirty years after the Mariel Boatlift, the stories of Marielitos intertwine in a narrative that captures what it means to risk everything for freedom. One man returns home in search of friends and loved ones he left behind. Tagline: One event 125,000 lives one mans journey

Website:
Official: http://voicesfrommariel.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/VFMariel Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/voicesfrommariel

Contact:
Rob Tritton 863.688.4505 rtritton@getnfocus.com

Technical Specifications:
Filming locations: USA, Cuba, Peru Language: English and Spanish with subtitles Running time: 80 min, Color Acquisition Format: DVCPro HD, 16:9 Exhibition Format: Blu-ray

Featured Cast:
Steven Bauer was born in Havana, Cuba. His parents fled to Miami on July 4, 1960, following Fidel Castro's Revolution. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts for Acting from the University of Miami. Bauer was cast in the substantial role of Manny Ribera in Scarface (1983), even though he was a relatively unknown actor at the time. His performance drew a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Since then, Bauer has focused his career primarily on action films and crime dramas on both the big and small screens, including such motion pictures as Primal Fear, Traffic, and Raising Cain. Dr. Jose Garcia was born in Cuba and immigrated to the US with his parents and sister in 1980 as part of the Mariel Boatlift. Dr. Garca earned a degree in Political Science from Montclair State University, and a PhD in Latin American literature from the University of Arizona. His dissertation, titled La Literatura Cubanoamericana y Su Imagen, was published in 2004 in a book of the same title. At FSC, Dr. Garcia created and implemented FSCs first Latin American Studies minor. Dr. Garcia has presented his academic research at international conferences and published various articles and two books on the Cuban and Cuban-American experience in the US. Elizabeth Caballero is a Cuban-American soprano widely recognized for her fearless portrayals of the lyric soprano repertoire. She is the recipient of numerous awards including the Richard Gold Debut Artist Award and the coveted annual Diva Award from the New York City Opera. She resides in Miami. Miguel Ordoqui was born in Cuba in 1939. He studied at the Academia Nacional de Bellas Artes San Alejandro in Havana. His work is noted for its use of color, humor, and sensuality. In 2005, he was awarded the Lorenzo el Magnifico medal at the Florence Biennale.

The Filmmakers:
Director Jim Carleton graduated Magna Cum Laude from Liberty University, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics, and a minor in Communications. Over the past eighteen years as a managing partner of NFocus, he has produced, directed, and edited a number of national and international media projects. These include feature length and short narratives, documentaries, broadcast, commercial work, stories of humanitarian efforts, and live-event production. Most recently, he produced and edited two award winning shorts Blackwater Elegy (2003), Wait (2007), and feature film Endure (2010). Producer Rob Tritton has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration from the University of Central Oklahoma. He has been a producer at NFocus for eighteen years also serving as its chief operating officer. In this capacity, Rob gives oversight to projecting, scheduling, and managing all aspects of production. As Producer of the recent feature film, Endure (2010), he was responsible for securing the $1.4 million budget through equity investments, financing and state incentives. Producer Jesse Larson is a recent graduate of Florida Southern College with a B.A. in Public Relations. He has worked on many live events, short films, and commercials. Most recently, Jesse was an associate producer on Endure (2010). Senior Producer Adriana Bosch is an independent filmmaker based in Miami. She was for twenty years a producer, writer, and director at PBS WGBH. Her two-hour special Fidel Castro aired in January 2005 and was honored with a Silver Hugo and was nominated for the Writers Guild Award. She has won a Christopher Award, a Peabody Award, an Erik Barnouw Award and an Emmy Award. Bosch, who was born in Cuba, holds a PhD in International Affairs from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. She has recently completed a one-hour documentary, Divas and Superstars, the fourth episode of the WGBH-BBC series Latin Music USA, for which she was also a Senior Producer.