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FRENEMIES: CUBA AND THE US EMBARGO

FRENEMIES presents a balanced portrait of Cuban life today and a compelling argument for why the US should lift the devastating 60-year embargo.

 


Set to the pulsating beats of Afro-Caribbean music, FRENEMIES examines the fraught relationship between the island nation of Cuba and the United States. Blending 1950s archival footage with contemporary shots of Cuba's economic decay and vibrant culture, the film paints a vivid portrait of a nation fighting for survival against the world's longest-running embargo.

Presenting a critical perspective on both governments, FRENEMIES blends archival and contemporary footage, interweaving music with personal stories in a lively exposé of this blatant violation of international law.

The United Nations has voted almost thirty times for the embargo to be lifted. FRENEMIES presents a compelling argument to support this campaign.

87 minutes
In English and Spanish
SDH Captioned (English)


Directed by Mirella Martinelli
Produced by Mirella Martinelli, Elizabeth Coffman
Associate Producers: Bruce Glasberg, Deanie Bergbreiter
Editor/Writer: Mirella Martinelli
Cinematography: Miguel Coyula, Mirella Martinelli, Jake Smucker

We offer two basic screening options: in-person or virtual. Book an in-person screening using the button below. For an online screening, fill out the virtual screening request form.

For more information on virtual screening options, visit our Learn About Screenings page.

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Screening options:
$29.95 Home Use DVD purchase (private use only)

COMMUNITY SCREENINGS (single events with license to charge admission)
$100 Small Community Screening (1-50 people)
$200 Medium Community Screening (51-100 people)
$350 Large Community Screening (100+ people)
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"FRENEMIES is the best Cuban documentary made to date! It is not pro-Cuban Government. It gives clarity to the insanity of the US embargo toward Cuba. Regardless of your politics on US/Cuba relations you will enjoy this documentary film - the music, the scenery, the actors, the citizens on the street and the story line are magnificent and factual."
Albert A. Fox, Jr., President Founder and President, Alliance for Responsible Cuba Policy Foundation

"While Cuba is a neighbor of the U.S., and the histories of our two countries are forever entangled, few people in the U.S have the opportunity to see the impacts of that history and of U.S. policy towards the average Cuban. FRENEMIES brings that history alive by giving voice to the Cuban people and allowing them to tell their stories. Combining that with the vibrant scenes and sounds of life in Cuba make this film a wonderful introduction to our neighbors, and to a broader discussion of the impacts of our policy on the people of Cuba."
Jorge Quintana, Executive Director, Center for Democracy in the Americas
"I've just seen Mirella's fantastic film FRENEMIES and I am very very impressed!...It is a vivid evocation of the Cuba that I've experienced...and the insanity of the continued embargo. I am very much sympathetic with the point of view of FRENEMIES, the film, and hope it sees as wide an audience as possible."
Walter Murch, Academy Award winning editor and sound designer, Apocalypse Now, The Godfather

"FRENEMIES is more than a history lesson, an activist film, the denunciation of an inhumane economic blockade for decades. It is also a film about dialogue, which cultivates a white rose for the sincere friend, the cruel enemy, and the unsuspecting viewer, led right into an all-important conversation."
Erica M. Munhoz, Literary Scholar, Brazil

"FRENEMIES is a critically relevant film for our times. It brings a new and different voice to the narrative on Cuba. It inspires debate and passions among all Cubans. FRENEMIES can be an instrument of dialogue and restoration between close neighbors."
Teresita Angela Terga, Publisher, Writer, Producer
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