The documentary, directed by Beatriz Luengo, premieres this Friday coinciding with the fourth anniversary of the historic protests.
14ymedio, Hugo Barcia, Miami, 8 July 2025 — Spanish composer and actress Beatriz Luengo and Cuban singer Yotuel Romero insist that the call of the song Patria y Vida, which prompted the 2021 protests in Cuba, is still alive, and they hope that the premiere this week of the homonymous documentary in the United States will open a new door to the demand for freedom.
“It is still alive, the call of Patria y Vida has a before and an after,” said Romero in an interview with EFE, in which he highlighted the historic role of the song, which he performed together with other Cuban artists. He stated that the arrival of the documentary in American cinemas will allow people to remember the milestone of a motif that took thousands of Cubans to the streets to protest against the dictatorship.
The film, directed by Luengo, will be released this Friday, July 11, in 10 movie theaters in the state of Florida, most of them near Miami, where the largest Cuban community outside of Cuba resides.
“This is a story of today, and a movie that contains a call to action. People come out of the cinema feeling that they can do something,” said Luengo
During its 90 minutes, the documentary reviews how the theme Patria y Vida was conceived, in addition to the influence it had on the anti-government protests that broke out on 11 July 2021 in Cuba, which resulted in the arrest of 1,400 people.
“This is a story of today, and a movie that contains a call to action. People come out of the cinema feeling that they can do something,” said Luengo
Although the song has already become a mass phenomenon, winning two Latin Grammy Awards – as song of the year and best urban song – both the Spanish artist and the Cuban singer agreed that it is now the turn of the documentary, which arrives in the US after its premiere in Europe.
“What we hope will happen is that thousands of people will send messages to Cuba saying ’You are bright, brave people. We’re with you’ (…), and that they identify with the pain of the people they see in the documentary,” said Romero.
“If previously the largest group that came out on the streets were Cubans, what we want to achieve is that this coming July 11 the groups that come out are not only Cubans but also citizens of every country demanding freedom for the people,” he added.
And although both argue that the musical theme “was historic” and managed to open the eyes of the world and demonstrate the strength of the Cuban people, they admit that there is still a long way to go.
“We are talking about a defenseless people, a people who have been oppressed for 56 years. Without water, without electricity, without food, it is very difficult to face a machine like the dictatorship that has all the weapons,” said the Cuban artist.
Among them are different forms of repression that the artists themselves personally suffered. It was the case of Romero, who left Cuba several years ago, and Maykel Osorbo, another of the interpreters of Patria y Vida, who was sentenced in 2022 to nine years in prison for “disobedience, resistance and contempt.”
“We are always asked at the end of the film if Maykel is still in prison,” recalled Luengo.
The documentary itself is banned in Cuba, which the Spanish artist interprets as a win: “That means we have done our job well”
The documentary itself is banned in Cuba, which the Spanish artist interprets as a win: “That means we have done our job well.”
In contrast, with the premiere in Miami they want the thousands of Cubans living in this city to go to the theaters “to feel it and mourn,” and take other people with them to show them what is happening in Cuba.
“It is a common malaise, not only of the young people, not only of the people who have left, but also of the people who are still there, practically unable to sleep [because of the power outages],” summed up Romero, before issuing a final warning to the Cuban government.
“Now the dictatorship has nothing to hold on to. Every time there are stricter laws, they inflict more and more fear, and that only makes you understand one thing: they are very afraid of the Cuban people because they know what they are capable of doing,” he said.
Translated by Regina Anavy
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