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(soft music playing)

(traffic rumbling)

(speaking Spanish on broadcast)

(radio chatter in Spanish)

(soft music continues)

(dogs barking)

Nanfu Wang:
This is a story about Cuba.

(horse whinnying)

But the story began
on the other side of the world,

in China.

(car horns honking)

(people chattering)

It was in China that
I started to wonder

how people living
under authoritarianism

could fight for change.

(protestors shouting in Chinese)

This question led me
to become a filmmaker

and to travel far from home
to search for answers.

(dramatic music playing)

(wind howling)

(tires screeching)

After many years,
it led me

to a young Cuban woman
named Rosa María Payá

who seemed to be traveling
the same road as me.

(dramatic music playing)

("Piangi Con Me"
by The Rokes playing)

(group singing and
chattering indistinctly)

(cheering)

(indistinct chatter continues)

(Rosa speaking English)

(music and chatter continues)

(music stops playing)

(subway car whooshing)

(train PA announcement
in Chinese)

Nanfu: Years before I met
Rosa María Payá,

I was making
my first documentary...

(horns honking)

...filming a group of people

speaking against
the Chinese government.

(protestors shouting in Chinese)

Nanfu: All of us
ended up facing arrest

or physical violence.

(speaker 1 speaking Chinese)

(Nanfu speaking Chinese)

(speaker 2 speaking Chinese)

(train car clacking)

Nanfu: I managed to get
the footage out of China

and screened the film
around the world.

(protestors shouting
in Chinese)

It was at a film festival
that my path

crossed with Rosa's.

After the screening,
she approached me

and said the film reminded her
of life in Cuba.

We spent hours sharing stories
about our lives.

We were both amazed
by how much our experiences

seemed to reflect each other.

After we met,
I scrolled through articles

about Rosa and her father,
Oswaldo Payá.

My father was five times
nominated

to a Nobel Peace Prize.

He proposed a solution

to democratically
transform the system.

(cameras clicking)

(Oswaldo Payá speaking Spanish)

(cheering and applause)

Rosa María Payá:
The real goal of the regime

was not just
to kill my father,

was to kill his legacy.

That's why they continue
the harassment

against my family.

Nanfu: When I met her,
her family

had recently fled to Miami.

But in spite of the danger,

Rosa frequently
returned to Cuba

to continue
her father's work.

I was inspired
by her courage

and dedication
to making change.

I also wanted to see
how people

fought against
the authoritarian government

in Cuba compared to China.

So, when she told me
she was returning to Cuba

for a protest action
with a number of artists

and activists there,
I followed along.

(Rosa and Nanfu chattering)

(driver and Rosa
speaking Spanish)

(group conversing in Spanish)

Nanfu:
When Rosa got home,

many of her extended
family and friends

were there waiting to see her,

including one of her
closest friends, Saylí,

who would work closely
with Rosa during this trip.

(bell ringing)

(TV playing indistinctly)

(family and friends
speaking Spanish)

(Rosa speaking Spanish)

(laughing)

(group continues talking
in Spanish)

Nanfu: I was surprised
by how casually Rosa reacted

to being detained
at the airport.

Since making my first film,
I have felt nervous

each time I've returned
to China.

I never knew whether
I would be detained

or if I would be prevented
from leaving the country.

Cuba's government
also have this power,

but Rosa didn't act like
a person who felt powerless.

(Rosa speaking Spanish)

(people speaking Spanish
on car stereo)

(salsa music playing on radio)

(car horns honking)

(indistinct chatter)

(people laughing)

Nanfu: This was my first time
ever visiting Cuba.

The city felt like
it was frozen in time.

But in spite of the feeling

of being in a new,
unfamiliar place,

I felt a strange feeling
of recognition

as I walked around.

It felt like déjà vu.

(plane engine roaring)

("The Internationale"
by Pierre De Geyter playing)

(crowd cheering)

(people singing
in native language)

(applause)

Nanfu: For most of my life,
all I knew about Cuba

was that it was an island
of resistance

to American imperialism.

Growing up in China,
I learned in school

that Cuba's
Communist Revolution

was a mirror image of our own.

(crowd applauding)

(speaking Spanish)

("The Internationale"
continues playing)

Nanfu: As one of the last
surviving communist societies

in the world,

Cuba became known
to ordinary Chinese

as our little buddy.

- (dramatic music playing)
- (traffic noise, sirens blaring)

It wasn't until I moved
to the U.S. as an adult

that I was exposed
to the American narrative

of Cuba's revolution.

announcer:
Havana, 1959,

Cuba was now a base
for international communism

in the Western hemisphere.

Now, your leaders
are no longer Cuban leaders.

They are puppets and agents
of an international conspiracy.

Richard Nixon: We are
quarantining Mr. Castro today

by cutting off trade,
by cutting off

our diplomatic relations
as we have.

We will quarantine this regime

so that the people
of Cuba themselves

will take care of Mr. Castro.

(motor rumbling)

news reporter 1:
Breaking news out of Havana,

the death of Fidel Castro.

reporter 2:
To the end, Castro insisted

his revolution would outlive...

reporter 3: Well, the question
is, what will change?

reporter 4: New questions arise
about how the country

will change in the wake
of his death.

(children chattering)

(bike horn honking)

Nanfu: The U.S. has kept
an economic embargo

on Cuba since 1962.

But in all those years,
it hasn't forced

a regime change in the country.

As I walked around Havana,

signs of Castro's decades-long
rule were everywhere.

But at the same time,
it felt like the country

could be on the brink
of transformation.

reporter 1:
It is history in the making,

President Obama in Cuba.

reporter 2: A lot has changed
between the U.S. and Cuba.

We've restored
diplomatic relations,

our embassy reopened
for the first time...

reporter 3: An American
cruise ship in Havana.

reporter 4: Here come
the Rolling Stones.

It's shaping up to be
a spectacle.

reporter 5:
This is a historical moment.

This is the kind of country
Cuba is becoming.

It's a changing place.

(soft guitar music playing)

(speaking English)

(phone beeping)

(Rosa speaking Spanish)

(both conversing in Spanish)

(Rosa speaking Spanish)

(Lia Villares speaking Spanish)

(Rosa speaking Spanish)

(Lia speaking Spanish)

(Rosa speaking Spanish)

reporter:
Danilo Maldonado Machado,

a Cuban artist and activist
better known as El Sexto.

He was arrested the morning
after Castro's death,

hours after spray-painting
"He's gone" on a wall

and creating this video.

(Danilo speaking in Spanish)

reporter:
As an outspoken dissident,

he became international news
when he was arrested

in Havana two years ago.

The reason? Controversial art
that included the names

of Fidel and Raul Castro
painted on live pigs.

(Rosa speaking English)

(Rosa speaking Spanish)

(cameras clicking)

(Lia speaking Spanish)

(rock music playing)

(rock music ends)

(group speaking Spanish)

(Rosa speaking Spanish)

(Lia speaking Spanish)

(Rosa speaking Spanish)

(Lia speaking Spanish)

(Rosa speaking Spanish)

(Lia speaking Spanish)

(Rosa speaking Spanish)

(Lia speaking Spanish)

Okay.

Nanfu:
While Danilo was in prison,

a photo of him was circulated
along with a note.

The photo showed a tattoo
of Rosa's father, Oswaldo,

which Danilo got
shortly after Oswaldo's death.

(Oswaldo speaking
Spanish on video)

(soft music playing)

(mouse clicking)

(Oswaldo speaking Spanish)

(Rosa speaking Spanish)

(Oswaldo speaking Spanish)

(Rosa speaking Spanish)

(Oswaldo speaking Spanish)

(Rosa speaking Spanish)

(mouse clicking)

(waves crashing on video)

(Rosa speaking English)

(waves crashing)

(Ofelia Acevedo
speaking Spanish)

(people speaking Spanish)

(speaking Spanish)

(children laughing)

(Ofelia speaking Spanish)

(family speaking Spanish)

(curious music playing)

(Oswaldo speaking Spanish)

(people chattering)

(music playing,
performers singing)

(rainfall pattering)

(Oswaldo speaking Spanish)

(child shouting)

(waves crashing)

(speaking Spanish)

(singing in Spanish)

(dog barking)

(melancholy music playing)

(inaudible)

(Oswaldo speaking Spanish)

(music fades out)

(interviewer speaking Spanish)

(Oswaldo speaking Spanish)

(speaking Spanish)

(ominous music playing)

(tense music playing)

(Rosa speaking Spanish)

(bell ringing)

(crowd chanting in Spanish)

(rhythmic clapping)

(dramatic music playing)

(Rosa speaking Spanish)

(music softens)

- (music fades out)
- (insects chirring)

(speaking Spanish,
voice breaking)

(somber music playing)

(Rosa speaking English)

(music fades out)

(horn honking)

Nanfu: The Cuban
government's crackdown

on Oswaldo's law project

wasn't limited to him
and his family.

(indistinct chatter)

Seventy-five people
who worked with Oswaldo

on the project were imprisoned.

One of them was the father
of Rosa's friend, Saylí.

(Saylí Navarro Alvarez
speaking Spanish)

(acoustic guitar music
playing)

(Nanfu speaking English)

(Rosa speaking English)

(passengers speaking English)

(suspenseful music playing)

(Rosa speaking English)

(suspenseful music continues)

Nanfu: Oh, my God.

(muttering indistinctly)

Let's see.

Here's their...

(friend speaking Spanish)

I saw this one again, like,
right before we came here,

- so tres coches.
- Nanfu: Three cars.

(friend speaking Spanish)

(Saylí speaking Spanish)

(Rosa speaking English)

(Nanfu speaking English)

(Rosa speaking English)

Nanfu: Mm.

I don't--
And, that-that's--

Yes.

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm?

Mm.

(Rosa speaking English)

(Rosa speaking Spanish)

(engine rumbling)

(brakes squealing)

Nanfu: Now that we knew
we were being followed,

Rosa became much more cautious.

She switched cabs often
to shake off any pursuers.

(Rosa speaking English)

Hey, hola.

Nanfu: When meeting
other activists,

they'd all remove
their phone batteries

to avoid surveillance.

(Salsa music plays on speakers)

Even in her own home,
she would turn on loud music

to drown out
their conversations.

(speaking Spanish)

Nanfu: But one of her
planned actions

had to happen
on a crowded street.

She went to a public
WiFi hotspot,

which was the only way
regular Cubans

could access the internet.

(horns honking)

Rosa wanted to livestream
on Facebook

calling for the release
of her friend Danilo

and other political prisoners.

(Rosa speaking Spanish)

Nanfu:
I was surprised to learn

that unlike in China,
Cuba allowed access

to many foreign websites,
like Facebook.

(speaking Spanish)

Nanfu: But that depended
on getting

an internet connection
in the first place.

(Rosa speaking Spanish)

Nanfu: With limited access
to the internet,

most Cubans still relied
on state media for information.

(radio DJ speaking Spanish)

(car engine rumbling)

(Rosa's friend speaking Spanish)

(speaking Spanish)

(speaking Spanish)

(speaking Spanish)

(Saylí speaking Spanish)

Nanfu: It may have been
a coincidence,

but later that evening,
her friend Danilo

was released from prison.

- (door closing)
- (horn honking)

(dog barking in distance)

(engine rumbling)

(greeting each other,
speaking indistinctly)

(speaking Spanish)

(Rosa speaking Spanish)

(speaking Spanish)

(Rosa speaking Spanish)

(insects chirring)

(thunder rumbling)

- (waves crashing)
- (sea birds calling)

(speaking Spanish)

Nanfu: One afternoon,
while I was filming Rosa

and her friends on the beach...

I noticed that there was a man

pointing his camera phone
at me.

(ominous music playing)

When I turned around to get
a different angle behind him,

he turned his camera around
to film me too.

(ominous music continues)

- (boat motor rumbling)
- (waves crashing)

(horns honking)

(horns continue honking)

I found myself
looking over my shoulder

everywhere we went.

I didn't know whether or when
the security agents

would directly confront us.

It felt just like filming
in China.

The surveillance
and the intimidation

made it hard to do
basic things,

like having a meeting
or accessing the internet,

let alone carrying out
campaigns

to challenge the authorities.

It was clear that Rosa's plan
to coordinate protest actions

was impossible
under these circumstances.

So, for the moment,
she decided

to return to the U.S.

(soft music playing)

(birds chirping)

(motorcycle zooming)

(spoon clinking, stirring)

(Ofelia speaking Spanish)

(soft trumpet music playing)

Rosa:
It was June 6, 2013.

It was hard to arrive in
an entirely new country.

I convinced myself
that I was just visiting.

So, I was not a typical
immigrant.

I didn't want it, to be here.

I was not trying to adapt.

Nanfu: It was easy for me
to imagine

what those first few years
of separation from her home

must have felt like for Rosa.

(traffic rushing)

I left China in 2011,

not out of fear for my safety
like Rosa and her family,

but I did share their view
of the U.S.

as a place
where people live freely.

Even though I left China
by choice,

it will always be my home,

a part of my identity
I would never want to change.

My films have been banned
in China.

The possibility that one day
I could be cut off

from everything
that made me who I am

is painful to think about.

(siren wailing)

Walking through Little Havana,

I could feel a sense
of homesickness

emanating from the place.

It gave me a painful feeling
of recognition,

a dream of home
that won't stop recurring,

but never comes true.

(soft music playing)

(waves lightly crashing)

(Rosa speaking English)

- (phones ringing)
- (people chattering)

(chattering continues)

(Rosa speaking English)

That yes-or-no question.

(speaking Spanish)

Oh, perfect.

(Rosa speaking Spanish)

(colleague speaking Spanish)

(Rosa speaking Spanish)

- Uh-huh.
- Si.

Nanfu: I had seen
how challenging it was

for Rosa to operate
inside of Cuba.

Now that I was observing
her work

from outside the country,

I wondered how she could
have an impact on Cuba

from a distance.

It was a question
I had been asking

about my own work
since leaving China.

(plane engines whirring)

flight attendant:
Ladies and gentlemen,

we have been cleared
for landing

into the San Juan airport.

In preparation for landing,
please bring your seat backs

and tray tables...

(people chattering)

(curious music playing)

Nanfu: I followed Rosa
to Puerto Rico,

where Cuban democracy activists
were holding a convention.

(conversing in Spanish)

Nanfu: Sixty-five different
organizations were represented.

Some of the activists
came from inside Cuba,

but the majority
were living in exile.

(activist speaking in Spanish)

(Cuban National Anthem
"La Bayamesa" playing)

(all singing "La Bayamesa")

Nanfu: I had never seen
this level of organization

among Chinese dissidents.

There is so much infighting
and division

among Chinese activists,
that I couldn't imagine them

all gathering in one room
adopting shared principles.

So, I was curious to see
what this conference

could accomplish.

- speaker: Viva Cuba Libre!
- crowd: Viva!

(activist speaking Spanish)

(speaking Spanish)

(speaking Spanish)

Nanfu: It wasn't long
before the meeting

devolved into chaos.

(speaking Spanish)

(speaking Spanish)

(speaking Spanish)

(speaking Spanish)

(speaking Spanish)

(speaking Spanish)

(speaking Spanish)

(speaking Spanish)

Nanfu: After observing
three days of the conference,

I was surprised by how little
I learned

about this group's plan
to achieve its goals for Cuba.

Looking around the room,

I noticed that there was
very little representation

from the younger generation
of Cuban activists.

(speaking Spanish)

Nanfu: Rosa was one
of the youngest people

in the room,
yet many of the people here

clearly respected her.

(speaking Spanish)

I kept an eye on her
as the arguments

grew more intense.

If she was feeling
any frustration

at how the conference
was playing out,

she wasn't showing it.

(attendee speaking Spanish)

(Rosa whispering in Spanish)

(speaking Spanish)

(speaking Spanish)

(people chattering)

(Rosa speaking English)

(insects chirring)

(loud dance music playing)

(speaking Spanish)

(music continues playing)

(dance partner speaking Spanish)

(speaking Spanish)

Nanfu: From the moment
I first met Rosa

to this moment in the bar,
I had never seen Rosa

do anything unrelated
to her activism.

(voices echoing)

(calm music playing)

I was unprepared to see Rosa
in such an unguarded moment.

I found myself
wondering what life

might have been like for her
had she not lost her father.

In this moment,
something became clear to me.

Rosa was a young woman
who had given up a normal life

filled with moments
like this one

to follow her dream for Cuba.

(calm music continues)

(waves crashing)

(sea birds calling)

(bell tolling in distance)

The next morning,
Rosa said something

that surprised me.

(elevator dings)

She asked me
not to use the footage

of her dancing in the film.

She explained that it wasn't
the version of herself

that she wanted
the world to see.

(elevator doors open)

We talked about it
for a long time.

I explained that I thought
it would be meaningful

for people to see her
in that moment.

She didn't seem
totally convinced,

but eventually,
she dropped her objection.

(ambient street noise,
cars honking)

Rosa: If the Cuban regime
wouldn't exist,

I would be taking care
of other issues in my life.

But I'm taking care
of that issue,

not because they decided,
but because I decided.

I understand, too,
that I'm missing

other parts of life.

But I... I came
to terms with that.

(dramatic music playing)

(ambient airport noise,
people chattering)

(applause)

speaker: Rosa María Payá
is the daughter

of Oswaldo Payá,

the most accomplished
democracy advocate

in Cuban history.

(applause)

(Rosa speaking Spanish)

Nanfu: As I continued
following Rosa,

it felt like I was witnessing
a transformation.

When I first met her,
she seemed to be known

primarily as Oswaldo Payá's
daughter.

(speaking Spanish)

Nanfu: Now, she was being
stopped on the street.

(speaking Spanish)

(camera clicking)

Nanfu: People I spoke with
who knew Rosa

had similar observations.

(speaker 1 speaking Spanish)

(speaking Spanish)

(cameras clicking)

(speaker 2 speaking Spanish)

- (cameras clicking)
- (reporters chattering)

Nanfu: Rosa had gone
from filming herself

on the streets of Havana
to being filmed

by dozens of TV cameras.

(inaudible)

(cameras clicking)

It became difficult
to keep up with Rosa

as she jetted
from one country to another.

And so, it was around this time

that our paths
started to diverge.

(ultrasound whirring)

Just as Rosa was undergoing
this transformation...

(machine beeping)

...my life changed too.

(soft music playing)

Becoming a mother
changed the way

I saw the country
where I was living.

Until this moment,
I had a casual relationship

with America.

(subway tracks squeaking)

But my son
was Chinese American.

Once I had a child here,
the relationship

became permanent
and irrevocable.

I became involved
in this country's future.

- (protestors shouting)
- (weapons firing)

And as I looked around me,
that future seemed dark.

reporter 1:
Evidence of a growing trend,

hate crimes in the U.S.,

the latest attack
in Portland, Oregon.

reporter 2: Have been increasing
reports of hate crime...

reporter 3: Those are the words
of the president.

"Why are we having
all these people

from shithole countries?"

reporter 4: Basically,
democratic norms are being...

reporter 5: The rights
of minorities,

freedom of the press,
and of the rule of law.

reporter 6: So, there's a lot
of people doubting the system.

reporter 7: Further erosion of
American political institutions

continuing a seven-year trend.

Nanfu: I left China
and came to the U.S.

because of this promise
of democracy and freedom.

But what I was seeing
did not feel like a democracy

that was functioning properly.

crowd (chanting):
Build the wall! Build the wall!
Build the wall! Build the wall!

(protestors shouting)

Nanfu: I started to worry
that the country

where I had chosen
to raise my child

was becoming
less fair and free,

and possibly even hostile
to people like him.

(solemn string music playing)

(music fades out)

It had been a while
since I'd seen Rosa,

when one day,
I was watching TV.

Little Havana.
Ah.

Havana, we love.
Do we love it?

(crowd shouts in English)

Now, this is an amazing
community.

The Cuban American community.

There's so much love,
I saw that immediately.

(crowd member shouts in English)

Thank you, darling.

Oh, do I love you too.

(laughter)

crowd (chanting):
Trump! Trump! Trump!

(cheering and applause)

(suspenseful music playing)

Nanfu: I never would have
imagined these two people

standing on the same stage.

Was Rosa there
to show her support?

Or was she there
for more pragmatic reasons?

Thank you.

Nanfu: I listened
to the whole speech

for clues about what led Rosa
to that stage.

Very brave people.

The exiles
and dissidents here today

have witnessed communism
destroy a nation,

just as communism has destroyed
every single nation

where it has ever been tried.

(applause)

Nanfu: It was in this moment
that I began

to sense a difference
between Rosa and me,

despite our similar
backgrounds.

(classical music playing)

(people chattering)

Not long after her appearance
at Trump's rally,

Rosa attended an event
held by an organization

called the Victims of Communism
Foundation.

(announcer speaking English)

(classical music continues)

(speaking English)

We are bound by
our understanding of communism.

As what?
As a pseudo-religion

that deserves to be buried deep
in the ash heap of history.

(applause)

Nanfu: Despite having been
raised in a communist society,

I would never describe myself
as a victim of communism.

I experienced repression
in China,

but it felt disingenuous
to blame that repression

on an ideology like communism.

(soft music playing)

I grew up reciting
the definition of communism

in school every morning.

(speaking Chinese)

But as I grew up,
I looked around.

Nothing I was taught
about communism

or socialism was reflected
in real life in China.

The reality I saw bore more
of a resemblance to capitalism.

Small numbers of people
control most of the wealth.

(sewing machines rattling)

Workers are exploited.

The goal
is to maximize profit.

(applause)

Even China's government
seems to realize this,

and in recent years,
it has worked hard

to remind people
that the country

is actually socialist,

but with
Chinese characteristics.

(Xi Jinping speaking Chinese)

(speaking Chinese)

(speaking Chinese)

Nanfu: I've come to realize
that in China,

the words "communism"
and "socialism"

are used as propaganda tools.

They conjure a utopian ideal

that justifies
the state's policies.

(dramatic music playing)

Since moving to the U.S.,

I found that the words
"communism" and "socialism"

also are exploited
by politicians here.

(speaking English)

(speaking English)

reporter: New evidence
of communist activities

in government circles
is promised

by the House Committee
on Un-American Activities.

Nanfu: I had thought that
Americans learned

from the Red Scare
that politicians

were spreading
fear of communism

so that they could
exploit that fear.

I thought of it as a moment
in this country's history

that had come and gone.

But clearly,
this was not the case.

But you know what the biggest
threat to America is?

Not socialism in Moscow.

- Socialism here in America.
- (cheering and applause)

They want to take
your pickup truck.

They wanna take away
your hamburgers.

This is what Stalin
dreamt about.

A vote for any Democrat in 2020

is a vote for the rise
of radical socialism

and the destruction
of the American Dream.

(crowd booing)

There are probably more Marxists

on college faculties
in the United States

than there are in all of
Eastern Europe combined, okay?

(applause)

Thank you so much, Governor,
Lieutenant Governor...

Nanfu:
Since Rosa and I first met,

I felt that we had
an unspoken understanding

about each other's experiences
and perspectives.

But now, I realized

that I shouldn't have
made assumptions

about what she believed.

Would you call yourself
anti-communism?

Totally.

All the communist regimes that
are still in place in the world,

but especially in Latin America,
and especially Cuba,

they are also
criminal enterprises.

It's-- it's a great evil
that we need to eradicate.

Nanfu: What do you think
of capitalism?

Capitalism is a-- it's a--
it's another economic system.

But it's not actually
the counterpart to communism.

The counterpart to communism
is democracy.

And of course, capitalism
has a lot of flaws.

Actually, all these
criminal organizations in power

in communist regimes
are capitalists.

The Cuban state's
a greedy apparatus.

They are capitalists.

Nanfu: It's interesting
to hear you say

Cuba is capitalism.

My father called it
"Capi-Castrismo."

(chuckles)
"Capi-Castroism."

Yes, they are capitalists.

Just, you cannot be,
you as a regular citizen,

you cannot have
private property.

You cannot have an enterprise
with a foreigner.

But they do it all the time.

Nanfu: So, what is
an ideal society?

Is there a country in the world

that is closest
to that kind of system

that you're envisioning
for Cuba's future?

There is no--
an ideal system in the world.

But democracy is definitely,
um, the less of the evils.

So, yes,
I want a democratic Cuba.

I want a nation in which we...

live under our own terms,
which is our leaders.

And we change our leaders.

(string music playing)

Nanfu: This freedom to choose
that Rosa talked about

was what drew me and many
Chinese people to America.

But what I found ironic
was how many immigrants

from authoritarian societies
embraced American leaders

with authoritarian tendencies.

President Xi,
president for life.

President for life?
That sounds good.

Maybe we're gonna have
to try it.

- (cheering and applause)
- Maybe we're...

President for life.

(speaking Chinese)

(emotional, voice breaking)

Nanfu: I understood
and sympathized

with what these people
went through.

But it felt dangerous to blame
communism for repression

when the real threat
is authoritarianism,

which can take root in both
communism and capitalism.

Mr. President...

I encourage you to indict
Raul Castro, Díaz-Canel,

and all top officials
of the regime.

And very importantly,
I encourage you

to designate the Cuban military,
its intelligent services,

and the Cuban Communist Party

as foreign terrorist
organizations,

because their relation
with the crime

and the narco-terrorism
threatening the region.

Our movement, Cuba Decides,

is a national
and global initiative

to force the Cuban regime
to submit

to the will
of the people, and leave.

It is imperative that all
the nations in the free world

support the Cuban people's fight
for change,

because the victory
of democracy in Cuba

is essential to open the path
to peace, prosperity,

and stability
in the whole hemisphere.

Please accept these cufflinks...

with the coat of arms
of the Republic of Cuba

as a symbol of the friendship
between our two people,

and also as a symbol
of our appreciation

for your actions
and your solidarity.

Thank you so much,
Mr. President.

- Thank you very much.
- I'm looking forward

to working together with you
very soon

for the streets of a free Cuba.

- Thank you so much.
- Thank you very much.

Thank you very much.
Well, I want to thank everybody.

I will not forget
what I heard today,

it, uh, it's very moving.

It's a very tough situation,
and, uh,

we've made a lot of progress,
as you probably have seen

and you know.

And I have a feeling
you won't be disappointed.

And by the way,
2020 is very important.

Very important.
So, but this election coming up

is a very important one.

(protestors shouting)

(dramatic music playing)

Nanfu: As shocking
as the aftermath

of the 2020 election
felt in the moment,

it wasn't totally surprising.

My fear as I watched
was that this

would just be the first
of many similar moments

for American democracy.

I thought of Rosa,
whose central goal

was voting rights
for Cubans.

I had to know whether
she still supported the person

who had done so much to
undermine democracy in the U.S.

(clicks recorder)

Can you say something,
and I check the audio?

Hello, Nanfu.
How are you today?

Nanfu: Great.

So, we can-- we can start.

Rosa: Okay.

Nanfu:
Can you tell us about
what this moment is?

- First what the--
- Could you run it?

Because I don't remember
what he said.

- Okay.
- (Rosa chuckles)

Let me see.

crowd (chanting):
Trump! Trump! Trump! Trump!

Little Havana.

(Rosa laughing)

I love it.

I was in more than one
of his activities.

And I think that this one
was the first one.

Actually, I didn't know that
I was going to be right there.

Uh, but they invited me,
and I-- and I of course went.

Um...

I believe that this one
was the speech

in which he, um,
announce that, uh...

many of the concessions
that the Cuban regime had

from the previous administration
were going to be removed.

So, that was probably
why I was there.

Nanfu: What do you think
of his politics?

Regarding Cuba, uh,
I believe that he could go

farther and more strategic
than he went.

I do appreciate, uh,
several actions that he do,

as the one that I mentioned.

Nanfu: Do you support
his politics outside of Cuba?

I do not follow, to be honest,
all-all-- all his politics.

And we, uh, as protocol,
we try to remain, um...

to remain nonpartisan,
non-political in that way.

Nanfu: In America,
many saw Trump

as an authoritarian figure
and attacked democracy.

- Mm-hmm.
- Could you expect somebody

attacking democracy
in his own country

to support demo--
democratic changes

in Cuba, actually?

Does he-- like, does somebody
like Trump

really care
about Cubans' democracy if...?

I don't know what one person
has in his or her heart.

Uh, I would love to see,
and to be sure

that everybody has the most
clean expectations,

feelings, and motivations.

I also care about the actions.

I also care about the
consequences of those actions.

And that's what I ask for

when I have a meeting
with a president,

that president being Trump,
or being Biden.

In order to be free,
we need all the support

that the international community
can give us.

So, it means that
I'm going to meet,

and I'm going to ask for support

to each person
that can give it to us,

of course, as-- as long
as we are not talking

about a totalitarian regime,

we are not talking
about a murderous regime.

But any democratic government
in this world...

well, I'm going to knock
each of those doors.

(conversing in Spanish)

Nanfu: Off-camera,
Rosa told me about her fears.

She worried that she would
alienate her supporters

on both sides.

Liberals might be disappointed

that she didn't
criticize Trump,

while conservatives
might fault her

for not endorsing him.

I understood Rosa's situation.

She was trying to navigate
a polarized society

that demanded
people take clear sides.

(people chanting)
USA! USA! USA!

I was born here!
You can't tell me to leave!

You're not looking at facts.
Look for facts!

- You're a fascist!
- I'm a fuckin' fascist!

Nanfu: The pandemic had left
the country even more divided.

(car horns honking)

In this moment,
Rosa and I both tried

in our own ways to do something
for our home countries.

I made a film about how the
U.S. and Chinese governments

have mishandled the outbreak,
showing that those in power

prioritize political interests
over public health,

regardless of whether
they are in a communist

or capitalist country.

(somber music playing)

Rosa had collected food
and medicine

for people in Cuba,
but the Cuban government

confiscated the shipments.

Images sent to me from Cuba
by a camera person

showed a desperate situation.

reporter 1: Inflation,
food and medical shortages,

and COVID running rampant...

reporter 2: An economic crisis
exacerbated by the pandemic,

and no access to...

reporter 3: Angry over shortages
of food and medicine,

and repeated
electricity outages.

Nanfu: The prospects for change
seemed as bleak

as they had ever been.

But then, in July 2021,
something changed.

(shouting in Spanish)

- (car horns honking)
- (tires screeching)

(loud smack)

(onlookers shouting)

(shouting in Spanish)

(shouting in Spanish)

(shouting in Spanish)

(shouting in Spanish)

(shouting in Spanish)

(shouting in Spanish)

(interviewer speaking Spanish
over phone)

(speaking Spanish)

(soft music playing)

Nanfu:
The scale and suddenness
of the protests

surprised everyone,
including Rosa.

There was no single event
or person who sparked them.

They seemed to just happen.

I could sense Rosa's
excitement.

(Rosa speaking Spanish)

(interviewer speaking Spanish)

(speaking Spanish)

(uplifting music playing)

(protestors shouting)

Nanfu: All over
southern Florida,

Cuban exiles
seemed to be full of hope

that this could be
the beginning

of democratic change in Cuba.

(shouting in Spanish)

(speaking Spanish)

(shouting)
Viva Cuba Libre!
Viva Cuba Libre!

(air brakes hissing)

(tense music playing)

(Cuban citizen speaking Spanish)

(protestors shouting)

(shouting continues)

(dog barking)

- (protestors shouting)
- (baby crying)

(shouting in Spanish)

(shouting continues)

(distraught Cuban citizen 1
speaking Spanish)

(distraught Cuban citizen 2
speaking Spanish)

(crowd shouting)

(distraught Cuban citizen 3
speaking Spanish)

- (shouting continues)
- (tense music continues)

(shouting continues on phone)

(music fades out)

(Rosa speaking English)

(calm music playing)

(protestors speaking Chinese)

(protestors chanting)

Nanfu: When the
Tiananmen Square protests

happened in 1989,
I was three years old.

(singing in Chinese)

(music and singing continues)

Nanfu: I wouldn't hear about it
until I moved

to the United States
as an adult.

China went to extreme lengths
to erase the protests

from its history.

And it continues
this effort today.

When I did finally learn
about the demonstrations,

I was around the same age
as the protestors.

I saw myself in them.

(protestors continue singing)

There was so much hope,
so much idealism.

It was a moment
when the possibility

of democracy in China
felt most palpable.

(gunfire and explosions)

I've wondered often about
what China would be like today

if the protests had succeeded
in reforming the country.

(people chattering)

(people shouting)

Now, watching something similar
happening in Cuba,

I find myself asking
how a movement for change

can succeed against
such a powerful adversary.

(shouting continues)

Rosa: You need pressure
coming from abroad

to force that regime to submit
to the will of the people.

(speaking Spanish)

(reporter speaking Spanish)

(Rosa speaking English)

interviewer: What can
the Biden administration

do to support
the Cuban, uh, people?

The U.S. should apply
individual targeted sanctions

against the repressors,

against the ones
that are ordering the military

to shut down
young people in the streets.

(Rosa speaking Spanish)

(speaking Spanish)

Nanfu: From one interview
to another,

Rosa repeated the same list
of requests.

But the topic of the embargo
kept coming up.

One of the things
talked about on social media

and by politicians
is the U.S. embargo on Cuba.

(protestors shouting)

reporter: The embargo has been
a highly volatile issue

in South Florida since it
was implemented in 1962.

The poll
shows Cuban Americans

are split right
down the middle.

We don't want intervention.
Lift the blockade.

We need to maintain this embargo
to try to keep pushing

the end of that dictator
communist socialist.

The biggest support
the Biden administration

would offer to the Cuban people
is to lift the sanctions.

(speaking Spanish)

I would like to know, Miss Payá,
should the embargo be lifted?

The international community
is very, very clear

that the embargo
has no moral basis

and should be lifted.

That's-- that's your opinion.
The people on the street

is not asking for the lifting
of the embargo.

It's asking for the end
of the dictatorship.

But we need the end
of the dictatorship...

Nanfu:
At first, I was surprised

that Rosa didn't advocate
lifting the embargo.

It seemed like a simple way

of improving
the quality of life

for ordinary Cubans.

It was only through
our off-camera conversations

that I learned Rosa's
real opinion about the embargo.

She worried that lifting
the embargo

would benefit
the Cuban government

more than its people.

(speaking Spanish)

Nanfu: In interviews,
whenever she was asked

about the embargo,
she would deflect,

arguing that the embargo
was a distraction

from the real problem,
the Cuban government.

The Cuban people
is not demanding

the end of the embargo
in the streets.

They are demanding
the end of the dictatorship.

They were not asking
for the end of the embargo,

they were asking for the end
of the dictatorship.

Nanfu: Shortly after
the outbreak protests in Cuba,

Rosa was invited
to a congressional hearing

about how the U.S. could
support democracy in Cuba.

We urge the U.S. government
not to make

unilateral concessions
to the regime.

Thank you for this opportunity,

and thank you
to the American people.

Thank you very much.

Nanfu: It was clear early on
that the embargo

would dominate the meeting,

and the members
from both parties

have made up their minds
on the subject.

I just want to point out
that I, myself,

have been a long-time opponent
of lifting the embargo.

Our biggest trading partner
of the United States

is a communist country, China.

We have no embargo
against China.

This insane notion
that lifting the embargo

is going to somehow
provide freedom

for the Cuban people is crazy.

It's absurd, and the only...

Nanfu: It wasn't long
before the two parties

started attacking each other.

The Cubans are on the street,
and no one is paying attention,

including the Biden
administration.

Those in the Republican party
have a lot of nerve

suggesting that they are the--
the champions of freedom

in another country,
when they are engaging

in suppression of the people's
right to vote and freedom here.

If I make a-- a call,
a request for all of you,

it's to please, to listen
to what the Cuban people

is demanding on the street.

At-- at the highest
possible risk, which is life,

they are demanding freedom.

They are demanding the end
of the dictatorship.

Please, do not politicize that.

(people chattering)

Nanfu: Beyond a few statements
and some additional sanctions

against Cuban government
officials,

the U.S. government's
Cuba policy barely changed

after the protests.

(guitar music playing)

Witnessing Rosa's disappointing
encounter with Congress

and watching this opportunity
for change in Cuba come and go,

made me reflect on the years
I've spent watching Rosa fight.

I had followed her
from the streets of Havana...

to rallies and conferences
across the world...

(applause)

...to the halls of power
in Washington,

and I didn't feel any closer
to understanding

where change will come from
than when we started.

(dramatic music playing)

I decided to sit down with Rosa

and watch everything
we had been through together.

(Rosa speaking English on film)

Rosa:
...and in our actions.

We need all the support
the international community...

(person shouting in Spanish)

Nanfu: As I sat here
thinking about everything

I had experienced,
it felt just as easy for me

to imagine Cuba and China
becoming free

as it was to imagine America
sliding into autocracy.

It seemed rational
to feel powerless

in light of everything
I'd seen.

Did you feel discouraged
by seeing

what you have tried to achieve,

and yet very little
has been changed?

(sighs)

Uh...

I feel...

frustrated.

But I do not feel discouraged.

I feel the opposite.

How many times before you saw
hundreds of thousands of Cubans

chanting "Freedom"
and "Down with the dictatorship"

in the streets?

I mean, if that's not something
that give you hope,

I don't know what is it.

(sirens wailing in the distance)

If we get to the conclusion
that we are powerless,

then we are.

That's the most comfortable
position

for an authoritarian
to convince you

there is nothing you can do.

(sirens wailing)

If we stop ourselves
even before trying,

then they already won,

and they base their strategy
on that.

(people shouting)

That's why there are
1,000 Cubans

in jail right now,
because the Cuban regime

cannot live with those guys
in the streets.

They are trying to prevent
what all those Cubans

could one day do.

Saylí is in jail.

And many other Saylís.

The main factor is that
the Cuban people want change

and is ready to risk everything
for that change.

Nanfu: Thousands of people
were arrested

for participating
in the protests.

Rosa's friend Saylí
was sentenced

to eight years in prison,

and her father
was sentenced to nine years.

The government gave them
a choice:

leave Cuba forever
or serve the full sentence.

(sea birds calling)

(Saylí speaking Spanish)

(dramatic music playing)

(all chanting in Spanish)

(speaking Spanish)

(all chanting in Spanish)

Nanfu: For years,
I tried to understand

how ordinary people
could create change.

(protestors chanting
in Chinese)

But change isn't like a story
with a beginning and an end.

(cameras clicking)

(speaker 1 speaking Spanish)

(speaker 2 speaking Spanish)

(speaking Spanish)

Nanfu:
Change grows slowly, unseen,

with its roots tangled
in history.

(speaking Spanish)

Nanfu:
But then, suddenly,

it can spring up
out of nowhere.

(shouting in Chinese)

(shouting in Chinese)

(shouting in Chinese)

Nanfu: In 2022,
China saw its largest protests

since Tiananmen Square.

(shouting in Chinese)

Nanfu:
Hearing chants of freedom

echoing through Chinese streets
felt like a dream.

(protestors shouting)

(dramatic music playing)

(shouting in Chinese)

Nanfu:
I've now come to realize
that optimism is a choice.

It's choosing, even when
no clear end is in sight,

to remain defiant until
change becomes a reality.

(shouting in Chinese)

(protestors continue shouting)

(voices fade out)

(Latin music playing)

(performers singing in Spanish)

(music fades out)