Andrew Lang’s Sons of Cuba took part in the Breakthrough strand of London UK Film Focus (LUFF) in 2009. The award-winning documentary releases in selected cinemas from today, thanks in part to the crucial exposure it gained through Film London’s annual British export event.

Sons of Cuba has enjoyed a successful festival run to date and international recognition to boot. The film has picked up awards aplenty over the past year – from Best Foreign Language Film at the Havana Film Festival to the Jury Award at the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival. A British Independent Film Award nomination for Best Documentary was also bestowed on Sons of Cuba in 2009. The director, Andrew Lang, has also been acknowledged for his directorial debut with accolades such as the Sheffield International Documentary Festival's Grierson Youth Jury Award.

Sons of Cuba follows the life of three young Cuban boys who undertake 8 dramatic months of training and schooling at Havana’s Boxing Academy. They are each in preparation for the match of their life, but crisis strikes during the season when Fidel Castro grows ill and the state of the country faces a grave crossroads. 

After being featured as one of LUFF’s Breakthrough films last year, Sons of Cuba has become an international phenomenon – securing sales with both Italy and South America. The film has been described by Time Out as "strikingly intimate" and "a gem of a picture" by Empire - The Hollywood Reporter even went as far to say that “it has all the makings of an arthouse hit”.

Over the coming months screenings will take place in Birmingham, Guildford, and as part of Sheffield Doc/Fest’s national tour. Sons of Cuba is set for release at the ICA in London today and will hit arthouse cinemas nationwide from 30 March 2010. Find out more about the film on the official website: www.sonsofcuba.com.


Applications are still being invited for this year’s London UK Film Focus Breakthrough strand. It is an opportunity for emerging talent seeking sales representation to expose their British feature film projects - find out on the dedicated London UK Film Focus page if you're eligible to apply. The deadline for submissions is 26 March 2010.