My story and questions to Andy Garcia

April 3, 2009 The day I met Andy García

After Andy García spoke to all the youngsters from Raíces de Esperanza who came together at the University of Miami on April 3rd, they openned the session for questioning and I was the second to last to speak to him. I obviously didn't take notes like I did with his speech, but my cameraman recorded what I told him, as a member of Raices de Esperanza, not as a reporter, and I've been able to listen to it again:

"I come from Florida International University. I was born in Cuba. I came when I was 12 years old. I'm not one of the lucky ones. I could have been Cuban American, but my my mother's father did everything to flee the island and couldn't. And my father was the only one of six sibblings to stay behind with his parents. He decided to stay, just so he wouldn't leave his parents behind. My parents almost came to this country. I could have been borned here. But I wasn't. I'm not Cuban American; I'm just Cuban. And I wanted to tell you, I was watching The Lost City with a friend and he started crying uncontrollably. And this is a guy. Guys usually don't cry. I was amazed. After we finished watching your movie, The Lost City, I found out that his grandfather, like the old man in the movie, has had a big farm in Pinar del Rio. He had a supermarket, where he would sell his crops, a tabaqueria, from which later on he would sell tabacos and all of that, the only things he really knew and loved had been taken away from him by the Revolution. His grandfather locked himself in a room and committed suicide. I know is sad. I wondered if I should say it or not, but this is a true story. The old man from the movie reminded him of the grandfather he never had the chance of meeting. I wonder how does that make you feel? How does it feel to know that your movie went beyond your hands because its viewer can interpret it in their own manner?

I was surprised to notice that the whole audience applaud, after I finished saying that.

Andy talked about all the years he'd worked to make The Lost City and how difficult other people had made it for him to do it! He said, let me tell you a story, that movie was supposed to open the San Sebastian festival, but then it got cancelled and they ended up not showing it at all. They called him and told him they weren't interesented in the movie, anymore. His final answer, looking at me in the eye, was: "that movie was the best thing I've done in my life". I know he meant in his professional life, because Andy has done a lot of good, great things in his life. And for that we love him!