Cuba After Castro
The Island in the Crosshairs
Directed by Matt Belen & Abby MartinIn the first and only American interview with President Miguel Díaz-Canel, Cuba After Castro explores the island’s revolutionary history and turbulent present, while revealing a portrait of the man tasked with steering its future.
-
New York Premiere
Thursday, April 16 | Reception 6PM, Film 7PM
SVA Theatre (333 W 23rd St, NYC)
Followed by a live Q&A with Directors Matthew Belen & Abby Martin.
-
Los Angeles Premiere
Wednesday, April 22 | 6PM
Los Angeles Royal Laemmle
Followed by live Q&A -
Bay Area Premiere
Friday, April 24 | 8:40PM
San Francisco Big Roxie (3125 16th Street, SF)
Followed by a live Q&A with director Abby Martin.
-
Durham, NC
Thursday, April 16
-
Denver, CO
Sunday, April 19
-
Richmond, VA
Thursday, April 23
Richmond Liberation Center | 409 Brook Rd Apt A, Richmond, VA 23220
-
Boston, MA
Monday, May 4
-
Wilmington, CA
Saturday, May 23
-
Columbia, SC
Tuesday, May 5, 2026
-
Chicago, IL
Saturday, May 16, 2026
Chicago Teachers Union HQ
-
Burlington, VT
May 25, 2026 | 3:30PM
Marsh Life Sciences - Benedict Auditorium, 109 Carrigan Drive, Room 235, Burlington, VT 05405 -
Canberra, Australia
Saturday, May 30
-
Nottingham, UK
July 26, 2026
-
Vancouver, BC
Monday, September 14, 2026
-
Cape Town, South Africa
The Directors
Abby Martin
Abby Martin is an American journalist and former host of flagships shows on teleSUR and RT America. She is the founder and director of several media organizations, including The Empire Files, an investigative documentary series about US imperialism. Over her career she has interviewed countless heads of state, academics and politicians. In 2019 she released her debut feature film, Gaza Fights For Freedom, which has been called the definitive “crash course” on Palestine. Her new film Earth’s Greatest Enemy (2025), about the environmental impact of the US military, is on a directors tour now. Her uncompromising style has made her a standard-bearer of advocacy journalism, and one of the most well-known alternative media figures in the country.
Matthew Belen
Matthew Belen is a Dominican documentary filmmaker from New York City. With a strong background in news and documentary post-production, he’s worked as an editor for Vice News, Buzzfeed, Conde Nast, as well as various docu-serieses like The Vow and How To: With John Wilson. In recent years he’s focused his skills on telling stories that highlight movements for social and political justice both past and present. He’s spent the last 5 years helping to build BreakThrough News into a bastion of anti-imperialist and movement-focused media. His most recent claim to fame was as lead producer for The Encampments (2025), which premiered at CPH-DOX in Coppenhaggen and broke the box office record for highest per-theater-average for a documentary on its opening weekend.
While the U.S. government economically strangles and threatens war on Cuba, most people here know very little about the neighbor they’re told to hate. Moving beyond the stereotypes, this film investigates the actual social and political reality of modern Cuba through the biography of its new leader. This is essential viewing for anyone seeking to comprehend the real pressures shaping Cuba and the uncertain future of U.S.-Cuba relations.
