In Havana, Cuba, the spirited beats and rhymes of the hip-hop community are just as much a product of the troubled economy as of their insatiable revolutionary spirit. Young Rebels intimately engages five hip-hop groups and two producers as they negotiate the Havana summer.
With Havana’s 9th Annual National Hip-Hop Festival approaching, invited performers prepare, battling economic hardship, unsympathetic mothers, and the threat of government censorship. Everyone must decide where they stand, from established groups seeking institutional support to fledgling cooperatives establishing alternative circuits, with allegiances ranging from commercial to feminist vegan.
With unheard of access to some of Cuba's best musicians, this documentary witnesses the future of Cuban hip-hop in the making and is a look at Cuba through the eyes of its youth. The New York Times called the film "essential viewing for anyone interested in rap music, free speech issues or the youth culture of contemporary Cuba."
Young Rebels filmmakers Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck were also recently honored for their latest film, Half Nelson, with both Oscar and Independent Spirit Award nominations. Ryan Gosling was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor and won an ISA for Half Nelson, along with his co-star, actress Shareeka Epps. Half Nelson also received ISA nominations for Best Picture, Best Director and Best First Screenplay.
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For more information, visits the film's page at the Imdb.com
To view a compilation of reviews, visit Metacritic.com
To see a short clip from the film, visit Cargo Film & Releasing.