Armed with only cell phones to bear witness to their journey, hundreds of Cubans documented their crossing from Colombia into Panama in hopes of entering the US. Most selling all their possessions to afford the trip, they crossed the treacherous Darién Gap jungle, enduring harsh conditions and eluding human and drug traffickers—only to land in a new kind of nightmare. When in January 2017, the Obama administration abruptly ended the "wet feet, dry feet" policy that expedited US residency for Cuban nationals, hundreds became trapped in a migratory limbo: illegal in Panama, with no money, no option to return to Cuba and few options for other safe countries. Cuban director Marcel Beltrán has expertly pieced together over a hundred hours of cell phone footage to show their perilous journey and firsthand accounts. Heather Haynes
Made In Colombia program presented in partnership with
This event has been financially assisted by the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund of the Government of Ontario through the Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries, administered by the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund Corporation.