{"id":3156,"date":"2020-11-11T08:16:47","date_gmt":"2020-11-11T08:16:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/?p=3156"},"modified":"2020-11-11T08:16:50","modified_gmt":"2020-11-11T08:16:50","slug":"castros-spies-a-very-irish-perspective","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/castros-spies-a-very-irish-perspective\/","title":{"rendered":"Castro\u2019s Spies &#8211; A very Irish perspective"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"747\" height=\"421\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/qPQYGWtUl8M?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Castro\u2019s Spies is not just a very good film about Cuba, it is an important milestone in Irish documentary filmmaking. Taking the kind of insight normally reserved for Irish subject matter, Ollie Aslin and Garry Lennon have got inside a story to reveal truths that others have never even looked for, let alone attempted to capture on film. As a piece of documentary making it is entirely devoid of ego, whilst revealing egos larger than life, egos worthy of a historical canvas, egos as humans. A rare and beautiful thing.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The protagonists tell their story, in their own words, sitting in the security of their own chairs in their own rooms without interference, without prodding, comfortable in their own skins. And what skins they are. What times they lived. What truths they speak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The narrative, which stretches from 1500 to 2015, involves perhaps 15 different storytellers, some of whom have three on-screen personas and even multiple identities, is illustrated with everything from news clips, cheesy 1970s docu-dramas, hammy reconstructions, mobile phone footage and family photographs. It should be a car crash, but it works. The variety of sources actually reveals the scale of the canvas, the breath of the evidence, the depth of the scholarship. It does all of that, whilst remaining true to the human beings involved. It is a rare service to the audience to take such diverse ingredients, such a complex story and never lose focus on the human beings involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I admit I\u2019m involved, I know some of these people personally. They are as real to me on film as they would be if they were sitting at my table, telling me their story. I can\u2019t get closer to the truth than that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Much will be made of the never-before-seen archival footage: FBI surveillance film, rare colour film from the triumphant arrival of Castro into Havana. These are indeed noteworthy, but noteworthy for never having been looked for before. Others have not invested the time to search out such sources, only needing a quick gloss over to confirm their pre-programmed narrative. Not these guys. These guys are the read deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fascinating, enlightening and touching, the film is a rare glimpse into the reality of lives lived under the tyranny of imperialism, deformed by the legacy of colonialism. A very Irish perspective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Simon McGuinness<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">11\/11\/20<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Castro\u2019s Spies is not just a very good film about Cuba, it is an important milestone in Irish documentary filmmaking. Taking the kind of insight<a class=\"moretag\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/castros-spies-a-very-irish-perspective\/\"> [&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3147,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[37],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3156","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opinions"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3137,"url":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/castros-spies-65th-cork-international-film-festival-2020\/","url_meta":{"origin":3156,"position":0},"title":"Castro&#8217;s Spies-65th Cork International Film Festival 2020","author":"Editorial Team","date":"November 9, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"A world premiere of a documentary by Irish filmmakers \u00a0Ollie Aslin and Gary Lennon. Castro\u2019s Spies\u00a0tells the story of the Cuban Five. They where intelligence agents sent to Florida to infiltrate violent anti-revolutionary Cuban-American organisations with a history of terrorism against their former homeland. If anyone has watched Wasp Network\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Featured&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Featured","link":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/category\/news\/featured\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/Screen-Shot-2020-11-09-at-15.47.28.png?fit=741%2C458&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/Screen-Shot-2020-11-09-at-15.47.28.png?fit=741%2C458&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/Screen-Shot-2020-11-09-at-15.47.28.png?fit=741%2C458&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/Screen-Shot-2020-11-09-at-15.47.28.png?fit=741%2C458&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6348,"url":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/all-spies-are-not-james-bond\/","url_meta":{"origin":3156,"position":1},"title":"\u2018All spies are not James Bond\u2019","author":"Editorial Team","date":"May 22, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"The award winning documentary\u00a0Castro\u2019s Spies, the story of five Cuban intelligent agents sent to the United States to prevent acts of terrorism, will have its North American release on Friday, May 13, from Gravitas Ventures. The Cuban Five garnered international attention following their unjust imprisonment in the United States for\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Featured&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Featured","link":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/category\/news\/featured\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/CastrosSpies_A1PosterPortrait_web2.webp?fit=750%2C430&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/CastrosSpies_A1PosterPortrait_web2.webp?fit=750%2C430&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/CastrosSpies_A1PosterPortrait_web2.webp?fit=750%2C430&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/CastrosSpies_A1PosterPortrait_web2.webp?fit=750%2C430&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8069,"url":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/filmaker-gary-lennon-on-his-new-documentary-castros-spies\/","url_meta":{"origin":3156,"position":2},"title":"Filmaker Gary Lennon on his new documentary &#8216;Castro&#8217;s Spies&#8217;","author":"Editorial Team","date":"April 27, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Filmmaker Gary Lennon joined Pat in the studio to discuss making this new documentary \u2018\u2019Castro\u2019s Spies\u2019\u2019 which will also be shown in cinemas around the country starting with the Light house in Dublin.Play interview here","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Documentaries&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Documentaries","link":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/category\/documentaries\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/filmaker-gary-lennon-on-his-new-documentary-castro-s-spies.webp?fit=970%2C485&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/filmaker-gary-lennon-on-his-new-documentary-castro-s-spies.webp?fit=970%2C485&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/filmaker-gary-lennon-on-his-new-documentary-castro-s-spies.webp?fit=970%2C485&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/filmaker-gary-lennon-on-his-new-documentary-castro-s-spies.webp?fit=970%2C485&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5940,"url":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/a-year-in-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":3156,"position":3},"title":"A Year in Review","author":"Editorial Team","date":"February 17, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"A Record of Cuba Support Group Ireland\u2019s activities in 2021 We started the year in a severe pandemic lockdown with a complete ban on all demonstrations and meetings outside the home. Even exercise outside the home was restricted to maximum essential travel limits. We had to innovate and adapt our\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Featured&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Featured","link":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/category\/news\/featured\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/1F396532-A8AD-4694-B3D9-6B2D4B2661AC-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/1F396532-A8AD-4694-B3D9-6B2D4B2661AC-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/1F396532-A8AD-4694-B3D9-6B2D4B2661AC-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/1F396532-A8AD-4694-B3D9-6B2D4B2661AC-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/1F396532-A8AD-4694-B3D9-6B2D4B2661AC-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":452,"url":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/award-winning-film-maker-devoted-to-the-cuban-cause\/","url_meta":{"origin":3156,"position":4},"title":"Award-winning film-maker devoted to the Cuban cause","author":"Editorial Team","date":"July 22, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Irish Times obituary - Bernie Dwyer, born: December 14th, 1943; died: July 10th, 2013","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Cuba&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Cuba","link":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/category\/cuba\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/bernie-Dwyer.jpg?fit=620%2C330&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/bernie-Dwyer.jpg?fit=620%2C330&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/bernie-Dwyer.jpg?fit=620%2C330&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":211,"url":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/dublin-bay-of-pigs-symposium-in-liberty-hall-dublin\/","url_meta":{"origin":3156,"position":5},"title":"Dublin &#8211; Bay of Pigs Symposium in Liberty Hall Dublin","author":"Editorial Team","date":"April 9, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"09:00 \u2013 09:30 Registration 09:30 \u2013 10:30 Documentary film: \u201c66 Hours\u201d - The True Story of Bay of Pigs. Directed by Otto M. Guzm\u00e1n, MUNDO LATINO 10:30 \u2013 10:45 Introduction by Jack McGinley, Chair of the SIPTU Solidarity\u00a0 with Cuba Forum. 10:45 \u2013 11:45 Historical significance of the Bay of\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3xdTY-OU","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/Screen-Shot-2020-11-09-at-15.47.28.png?fit=741%2C458&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3156","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3156"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3156\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3147"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3156"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3156"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3156"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}