Cuban pilots fighting a war in Africa.  No, not Castronoids or Chemonoids, but anti-communist Cuban exiles hired by the CIA. These men fought against Fidel Castro in the Congo. And some of those who were shot down ended up being eaten by cannibals. It's a piece of Cuban and Cold War history that has remained hidden from view for many decades.  In fact, the CIA files on this operation are still sealed.  But the thirty-year vow of silence imposed on these brave pilots by the CIA has now expired, and they are free to tell their story.

Would you like to play a part in revealing this incredible story to the world?  Filmmaker Sandra Alvarez-Smith, the granddaughter of one of these pilots, is currently trying to get the project off the ground.  Pun intended.  This means that she is seeking three kinds of support:

1. Funding.  Independent documentaries depend largely on private funding.  Documentaries on Cuba rarely receive federal funding or foundation grants, and when they do, the producers often have to sign away their creative control.  In the case of Cuban subjects, it often means the forced injection of "balanced" coverage, which, as we all know, is a euphemism for Castronoid propaganda.   In other words, short and sweet: the producers of this film need donations.

2. Research.  The filmmaker is seeking contact with anyone who was connected to this clandestine operation, in any way.

3. Publicity.  Word-of-mouth information is the best advertising of all.  In other words, in the case of the Cuban exile community, news of this film project needs to spread through Radio Bemba.

The filmmaker's own pitch, below, provides all of the basic information on how to get involved, how to contribute, and how to spread the word.   Traditionaly, ours is a very tight-fisted community, a reasonable trait for refugees who lost everything and had to start their life anew from scratch.  But every now and then a worthy cause like this comes along, and in such occasions being an "agarrao" ceases to be a virtue.   If you can contribute in any way to the making of this film, please do so.  And pass the word.

Watch the trailer HERE. The password is congo.  (No capital letters)

For the project website, go HERE.

Los Angeles Producer and Director Sandra Alvarez is currently working on a new documentary about a lost piece of Cuban-American History. A Secret Legacy is a about the CIA-CLASSIFIED story of the unlikely alliance between the CIA and a handful of brave Cuban Exiles, who secretly joined forces to fight Communism in the Congo during the Cold War. SYNOPSIS: We will follow the story through the personal journey of Frank Alvarez, a 62-year-old Cuban immigrant, who is on a quest to find out the truth about his deceased father, one of the veterans from the Congo. As the film progresses, we will meet several characters whose lives have been dramatically changed by the events during the Congo Crisis in the mid 60’s. The characters will share their tales of cannibalism, covert CIA operations, plane crashes, Communist rebels, Che Guevara and his Cuban guerrillas, the rescue of Evangelical missionaries, and the Simba warriors. In the end, Frank will discover that the price of this war for the Cuban Exiles and their families was more than they had bargained for. WE NEED YOUR HELP! For some reason, the CIA wants to keep this Operation a secret. But it’s time that the public learns about the sacrifice of these Cuban-Exiles!

In order to make this film we need funding, and we are reaching out to the Cuban-American Community for help! If you are interested in taking part in helping us tell this incredible story, please visit our website- www.asecretlegacy.com and click on the “Donate” link. The donations are made through our 501(c) Non-Profit organization, IFP, and they are TAX DEDUCTABLE! We are passionate about this project, and want to educate the American Public about these Cuban-Americans who were able to beat Communism and help the United States on matters of National Security.

If you can’t donate today, we also need supporters who are willing to spread the word, so please email Sandra Alvarez at asecretlegacy@gmail.com, to be added the mailing list and receive updates on the film.  We are going to be doing some crowd-funding campaigns in February, and we want to have the largest email database possible to sound the alarm for the campaign!

To Donate, please visit our website and click on the "Donate" button- http://www.asecretlegacy.com/donate.html