alright well his latest project is an
homage to the special relationship
between Cubans and baseball filmmaker
Joe Cardona is here to tell us about
this labor of love a co-production with
South Florida PBS it is called
major-league Cuban let's take a quick
look
these were our heroes they allowed us to
share moments and feelings that were
familiar it's in our blood in our
Blessed I always hide in my lifetime
just two wishes
I wanted to either be a musician or a
baseball player kill cardona
congratulations I've watched it it's
really cool it's a great movie i think
even if you're not a baseball fan you
can dive into all the history of Cuba
that you put in there so why why make
this movie what was your inspiration but
you know that's the idea for this movie
came out several years ago and I was you
know I was busy with other projects and
then finally focused in on it it's
really about the connection that you
mentioned pan between baseball and
Cubans and and so it's like almost part
of our DNA
yeah and I really think it's also you
know if you trace human history you can
trace it through baseball whatever is
happening in Cuban history is happening
in baseball history from the Negro
Leagues even before then
cuban independence you know the Spanish
crown outlawed baseball in Cuba because
it was the these subversive sport that
was being played by the by the locals so
that was a big draw and like you said
the film is really more about history
and the engagement between baseball and
Cubans than it is about the actual balls
and strikes although there's plenty of
that
yeah there's plenty of that and but what
I it does take you through history which
I thought was really fascinating and you
can see what's happening with baseball
with what's happening when the cuban
revolution happened what happened
baseball after that and I think what's
also interesting is you bring up the
issue of racism you have these white
Cuban players black human players there
and then when they go to play in the
major leagues in the united states all
of a sudden these black players are
segregated right now for the first time
many of these Cubans and confronted that
you know the harsh realities of jim crow
laws in the South many of the Afro Cuban
players could only play in a negro
leagues until nineteen forty-seven when
baseball was integrated on but even in
the post-revolutionary years in the
sixties some of the ball players that
came over we're now hit with you know
minorly towns throughout the south and
even other parts United States and
confronted the Jim Crow laws
yeah and and sitting in the back of the
bus and eating at different restaurants
and staying in different hotels so yeah
we trace that whole history it was fast
and I love to you go back and you talked
to ballplayers here and one gentleman
got teary eye talking about his dad
and I got choked up just seeing him go
back in time and relive what it was like
to be a young baseball player it going a
little like me like me yeah right going
up to miami many of us played in the
league right on it through high school
and from college and and and yeah
baseball the different things South
Florida it's almost the passionate
pastime of many sufferings and it was
one coach you were and he speaking it
was a lot of in Spanish so there's
subtitles that people need to read the
subtitles and he says that one of the
question is what is baseball team and he
says total Everything Everything
Everything my wife my kids and baseball
right i love that if but that it just
sets for the whole essence of the film
in a way isn't it right
my nine-year-old daughter says with the
bobby was baseball mean to you and I
similar answer i said a whole lot
yeah alright well let's go to play catch
ah thank you all next the other side of
it till you see a lot of the young men
but you can bring the young ladies into
a tube already passionate about and
their ladies reflected yet in the film
as well because it's you know we haven't
the wonderful yes lady who's the Cuban
grandmother yet in the film he got ya
because I don't look great and friends
at zero percent which he is thank you so
much it's a great movie
congratulations and for more information
on this film you can check it out on
South Florida pbs.org
alright remember to catch me majorly
Cuban right here on South Florida PBS
airing tuesday March the seventh on wpp
and March 14 on WX et al