I Am Arbesu

In 1962 as Fidel Castro embraced Communism, a Cuban ambassador, his wife and three young daughters sought political asylum in Canada. Eleven years in the making, I Am Arbesu by filmmaker Christiane Arbesu takes the viewer on an unprecedented journey. In true cinema verite style, we see the reunion of a family through the eyes of the youngest daughter of a former diplomat who defected from the country that anointed him ambassador. Half a century later, when President Obama opened relations with Cuba, Christiane was finally allowed to make that once-forbidden trek to discover the family and country she never knew. What she found will break your heart and lift your spirits in equal measure. (San Francisco Latino Film Festival)