Surfing and other water activities have been banned for decades in Cuba and are viewed with great suspicion by the authorities. This is how the website of the documentary “Havana Libre” explains the situation on the island. The film tells the story of two Cuban surfers who build their surfboards from scratch while tenaciously fighting for the culture of the sport on the island. They are Frank Gonzales Guerra and Yaya Guerrero.

“The former is one of the most established surfers and, for many, the best surfer on the island. While the second is a community leader and surfer who has made it her mission to ensure that the next generation can surf freely. When surfing was announced as the official sport of the Tokyo Olympics, they saw an opportunity to bring their sport out of the shadows and bring it to the world stage. What follows is the story of underground surfers building their own boards from the ground up, dodging the authorities as they travel the island in search of the perfect wave. The film chronicles their struggle in the face of political oppression, confronting borders and outdated ideologies along the way,” the synopsis reads.

The documentary reviews the emotional, moral and political dilemma the two have to navigate when invited to participate in international events abroad; because it involves being forced to undertake an illegal journey, taking risks and being separated from one’s family.

Frank and Yaya met “Havana Libre” director, American Corey McLean, during his trip to the island in 2016. “When we took our first production trip, we embarked on three months with Frank and Yaya to shoot a short film”. on the shape of the surfboard. We had read a 2013 New York Times article on the subject and thought of it as a way to spend time in a country we’ve always wanted to explore,” McLean said in a statement.

The director, who is also a musician and artist, underlined that thanks to these surfers, his team and himself were able to obtain a social, economic and political vision of the island and its inhabitants, impossible to read in the newspapers.

This is how the director realized that the production would open the eyes of people around the world to understand the human reality lived, felt and breathed in Cuba. And so, what was originally intended to be a short, ended up being McLean’s feature debut, who has made shorts before and screened them at the Mountain Film Festival and the Camden International Film Festival.

“Havana Libre” was filmed over three years. It is produced by 1091 Pictures, in association with the World Surf League and the Surfrider Foundation. The film recently premiered at the Santa Barbara Film Festival and will screen at other festivals across the United States. It will be broadcast on VOD this Tuesday, March 22.