In a small town outside of Havana, the young Cruz brothers are beaten and sentenced to prison for five years for listening to Cuban underground rappers, Los Aldeanos. VIVA CUBA LIBRE follows the intermingled stories of the Cruz brothers and the music that they love. From the streets of Havana comes the sound of struggle and the voice of a new revolution made thrillingly real by the hidden cameras that bring viewers inside the Cuban revolution.
We speak to filmmaker Jesse Acevedo about the process of making the movie, at risk of imprisonment to himself and his crew in this BYOD.
Watch new episodes of BYOD live each week on Tuesdays at noon on TheLip.TV, or tune in for the archived replay starting here on the following Thursday.
ABOUT BYOD:
BYOD is hosted by Ondi Timoner, director of “DIG!,” “JOIN US” and “WE LIVE IN PUBLIC,” and has the rare distinction of winning the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance twice. Each week the show explores a different documentary filmmaker or aspect of filmmaking, with special guests and a live Q&A– diving deep into creative process and the business realities of producing and distributing films. Ondi shares her insider views, opinions, and personal stories, welcoming audience participation. BYOD aims to entertain, inform, and elevate documentaries in general by bringing attention to films and film makers that deserve exposure.
GUEST BIO:
Jesse Acevedo is a film director born in Mexico and based in Los Angeles. He has worked on feature films, documentaries, music videos and commercials. Jesse Acevedo previously produced, wrote, and directed the feature documentary, TUDO AZUL which won the John Schlesinger Award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival. VIVA CUBA LIBRE premiered at the Miami International Film Festival and just recently played at the Newport Beach Film Festival.
ADD’L LINKS:
http://cargocollective.com/acevedo/Viva-Cuba-Libre-Rap-is-War
https://www.facebook.com/VivaCubaLibreRapIsWar?fref=ts
