As you may or may not know, up until a few years ago, surfing was illegal in Cuba. The few who dared to surf did so on homemade boards in constant fear of fines, imprisonment, or worse. Unrecognized as a sport, the cultural lack of acceptance stemmed from a time in Cuba’s history called the “Special Period,” a time of economic crisis when many thousands of Cubans sought to escape the island in homemade boats. But the Olympics mean a lot to Cuba, and with surfing’s recognition as an Olympic sport in 2016, the small group of underground surfers in Cuba, lead by Frank Gonzales and Yaya Guerrero, were able to successfully push their government to accept surfing as a “recreational activity,” allowing them to cross borders that have been closed for their entire lives to compete with, and learn from, the world.
The film is set to premiere at the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival this weekend and will be available to stream February 19-22 on the Big Sky Film Festival website.
Featuring interesting, homemade wavecraft, triumph over a lack of understanding, an epic search for waves along the Cuban coast, and pure unbridled stoke, Havana Libre is a deeply moving story you won’t want to miss.
