HAVANA COYOTES is the first Cuban-American film shot in Cuba with an all-Cuban cast since the 1959 Revolution. A narrative feature, COYOTES, explores the prejudices, misconceptions, and deep love of country that persist to this day between the US and Cuba.
BETWEEN HAVANA AND MIAMI, NOTHING STAYS BURIED
Buried histories travel with us — across water, across generations. Filmed entirely in Cuba, HAVANA COYOTES follows Julia, a Cuban-American who returns under war’s shadow to claim her grandmother’s ashes—and face the life exile denied her.
As secrets, loyalties, and unfinished histories surface, the film explores the distance between the stories we inherit, and the lives actually lived. COYOTES is a film that refuses easy answers and understands that identity doesn’t end at the shoreline.
FORMAT: Feature Film
RUNNING TIME: 1 hour 15 minutes
GENRE: Drama, Romance, Cross-Cultural, Political
LOCATION: Havana, Cuba
Director's Statement
Benjamin Orifici
"We encountered storms, daily electricity blackouts, and intense heat. The all-Cuban cast and Cuban support staff worked selflessly to make this film a reality—even in the face of intrinsic danger to their own liberty.
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I believe that HAVANA COYOTES captures the zeitgeist of today’s Cubans – the trials they must endure in a perpetually-sanctioned, post-pandemic economy. At the same time, COYOTES is a love story that reveals the sincere pride and passion Cubans maintain for their country.
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I started visiting Havana in 2015 as a board member of a Cuban cultural foundation. Now, after 30+ visits, I am still in awe of this city, so full of passion, music, rhythm – amid such economic calamity. When I look back, the seeds of HAVANA COYOTES took root during that first trip. Ten years later, it has finally emerged—fully grown—and ready to spread its seeds to viewers who have but a glancing stereotype of this rich and wonderous country."
