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      East of Havana

      2006 1 hr. 22 min. Documentary List
      75% 16 Reviews Tomatometer 76% 1,000+ Ratings Audience Score This documentary focuses on Cuban hip-hop group El Cartel, composed of rappers Soandry, Magyori and Mikki Flow. They have helped organize the International Festival of Rap Cubano, the nation's sole celebration of rap music. The government puts a halt to the fest, citing weather concerns. However, El Cartel feels that the officials who stopped the gathering were trying to censor the artists set to perform. Undeterred, El Cartel and their fellow musicians begin to plan a more clandestine event. Read More Read Less

      Audience Reviews

      View All (6) audience reviews
      Audience Member Being Cuban but not a big fan of rap music, I was torn about watching this documentary! After it sat on my DVR for about 6 months, I decided that I would give it a shot. Immediately after the first few panning scenes of Cuba, I was glad that I decided to watch it. The movie was more about the hip-hop movement than the actual music. I loved seeing how these people are living in Castro's regime and making music that is not the norm for Cubans and most of it is censored in Cuba. The deeper that we delve into these peoples lives the more I realize that Cuba is in very bad shape! Although I'm not a fan of hip-hop I indeed liked the message in their music! Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/02/23 Full Review Audience Member Being Cuban but not a big fan of rap music, I was torn about watching this documentary! After it sat on my DVR for about 6 months, I decided that I would give it a shot. Immediately after the first few panning scenes of Cuba, I was glad that I decided to watch it. The movie was more about the hip-hop movement than the actual music. I loved seeing how these people are living in Castro's regime and making music that is not the norm for Cubans and most of it is censored in Cuba. The deeper that we delve into these peoples lives the more I realize that Cuba is in very bad shape! Although I'm not a fan of hip-hop I indeed liked the message in their music! Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/14/23 Full Review Audience Member No words can describe it, anybody who's at all interested in contemporary Cuba should watch this. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Audience Member I was so proud of these kids. Here's the cast: Michel "Mikki Flow" Hermida, Magyori Martinez Veitia, and Soandres "Soandry" Del Rio Ferrer and Vladimir Ferrer (in the US) and their mother, Norma Despaigne. (Mrs. Despaigne passed away as the film was being made or released.) This flick is a New York Times Pick, produced by South African-born actress Charlize Theron. The kids' rap is mainly about being Black & female or Black & male in Cuba. (All of which means poor yet not as 'excluded poor' as during Black enslavement in Cuba and life before the Revolution, while at the same time the Cuban Revolution has left serious contradictions.) From the NY Times review: "East of Havana" is the real deal. Directed by Jauretsi Saizarbitoria and Emilia Menocal, it's a nonfiction feature about young Cuban rappers exercising the artist's prerogative to tell the truth in a country that muzzles free speech. Although the film is set in 2004 during the weeklong run-up to the International Festival of Rap Cubano and in the shadow of Hurricane Charley, there's no phony urgency. The filmmakers are mainly interested in hearing the music and learning about the musicians' compelling personal stories." Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/28/23 Full Review Audience Member Shows the power hip-hop can have as a lifeline when you're in an f-ed up situation. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/12/23 Full Review Audience Member A Great Documentary about the Hip-Hop/Rap underground of Cuba. The music is awesome, the three Artists they follow each have a heartfelt story of struggle, passion for the music and life. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/15/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      East of Havana

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      Critics Reviews

      View All (16) Critics Reviews
      Michael Ordoña Los Angeles Times A rare glimpse of everyday life in Cuba, where big questions and obstacles confront the rappers at seemingly every turn. Rated: 4/5 Mar 8, 2007 Full Review Peter Rainer Christian Science Monitor If you thought that the Buena Vista Social Club was all that needed to be said about Cuban music, now there's East of Havana, which is about the Cuba rap scene. Rated: A- Feb 15, 2007 Full Review Joshua Rothkopf Time Out East of Havana lacks the grace or intelligence to let the music speak for itself. Rated: 2/6 Feb 10, 2007 Full Review Michelle Orange L.A. Weekly East of Havana sets individual stories against the bitter, resilient landscape of Cuba's political history. For the youth in the film, music doesn't just have a purpose, it is a purpose, and the artists find in hip-hop a 'mental freedom.' Mar 8, 2007 Full Review Eric Monder Film Journal International There are some memorable, evocative moments, but they are spoiled by the film's obvious and simplistic politics. Feb 5, 2007 Full Review Ted Murphy Murphy's Movie Reviews It would have been nice to say that EAST OF HAVANA serves a terrific introduction to the world of Cuban hip-hop, but I cannot. Rated: C- Feb 2, 2007 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis This documentary focuses on Cuban hip-hop group El Cartel, composed of rappers Soandry, Magyori and Mikki Flow. They have helped organize the International Festival of Rap Cubano, the nation's sole celebration of rap music. The government puts a halt to the fest, citing weather concerns. However, El Cartel feels that the officials who stopped the gathering were trying to censor the artists set to perform. Undeterred, El Cartel and their fellow musicians begin to plan a more clandestine event.
      Director
      Jauretsi Saizarbitoria, Emilia Menocal
      Screenwriter
      Jauretsi Saizarbitoria, Emilia Menocal
      Production Co
      Denver and Delilah Productions
      Genre
      Documentary
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Streaming)
      May 23, 2017