Tuesday, May 11, 2010

"Oscar's Cuba" Premieres Today in Miami



"Oscar's Cuba" is the story of Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet, a political prisoner who has been called Fidel Castro's number one enemy; the man the Castro brothers fear most.

A medical doctor, Biscet is serving a 25-year prison term, much of it in a tiny solitary confinement cell.

Filmmaker Jordan Allott is an American who told CBS4's Eliott Rodriguez that he didn't know much about Cuba before he started filming his documentary.

"I read about Dr. Biscet and immediately connected with his story," Allott said. "I said, 'Wow if there isn't a movie about him I have to make one so people who are not Cuban will connect with him the same way I did."

Allott snuck into Cuba on two occasions to make the film. He interviewed Biscet's wife, who showed the food she takes him in prison, the bucket he uses to hold bathwater and the toilet paper and other personal items she takes him. Dissidents show how wiretaps are used by the government to spy on them.

The film captures the constant fear Cubans live with.

At one point in the film, Allot approaches a Cuban man on the street and asks, "If I was Cuban and I said I don't like Fidel would I be in jail?" The man responds by saying, "Please don't ask me that."

A man of peace, Dr. Biscet was harassed by pro-government mobs before being put in prison for speaking out against the government. Jailed but not silenced, he continues to send messages from inside prison.

"He's still having an affect even from the dungeons of Castro's prisons and if he gets out he could lead the people to freedom and that is what the Cuban people want," Allot said.

"Oscar's Cuba" is the story the Cuban government does not want you to see.

SHOW-TIMES:

The film is being shown in South Florida on Wednesday May 12th, Tuesday May 18th, Wednesday May 19th and Thursday May 20th. All four screenings will be at the Tower Theater, 1508 S.W. 8 Street in Little Havana.

Source: Capitol Hill Cubans