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IN THE NEWS
The Miami Herald
Candidates target Castros for indictment
December 11, 2007
The frustration of Miami exiles over the Cuban government's downing of two Brothers to the Rescue planes more than a decade ago has now filtered into the presidential race, with top GOP candidates calling for the indictment of Fidel and Raúl Castro.
While stumping through South Florida, three Republican candidates have brought up the Brothers tragedy, and at least two have pledged to hold the Castro brothers responsible for the 1996 shoot-down by Cuban MiGs that killed four Miami-based fliers.
...
Relatives of those killed, who have for years pushed for indictments, welcomed the support. It comes just before the Jan. 25 release in Miami of a documentary about the incident, titled Shoot Down.
CBS Channel 4, Miami
"Shoot Down"
January 19, 2008
Michele Gillen reports from the Miami Premier of "Shoot Down" January 18 at the Gusman Theater.
FOX Channel 7, Miami
Documentary of 1996 tragedy to be released this month
January 17
FOX reports on the release of "Shoot Down" prior to the Miami Premier.
The Miami Herald
Blow-by-blow account of Brothers to the Rescue tragedy
August 5, 2007
WASHINGTON -- Cristina Khuly says the sense of grief from her uncle's death didn't sink in at first. It hit her when she called her mother to confirm that Armando Alejandre was one of the four men killed by Cuban MiGs over the Straits of Florida.
"Until then it was all on TV,'' says Khuly. “It wasn't real.”
Now, more than a decade later, Khuly wants to make the tragedy real for a much broader audience with the Oct. 1 release of
Shoot Down , her blow-by-blow account of the Feb. 24, 1996, downing of two Brothers to the Rescue aircraft.
The 90-minute documentary tells the rich back-story of the most serious crisis across the Straits of Florida since the 1962 missile showdown, from the growing tensions produced by Cuban rafters washing up to the Florida shores like debris to the Cuban opposition's bold demands for political change.
The Associated Press
Niece of Brothers to the Rescue victim makes film about attack
August 14, 2007
NEW YORK - A decade after the Castro government shot down two airplanes belonging to the Cuban-exile group, Brothers to the Rescue, the niece of one of the victims is bringing her uncle's story to the big screen, in the documentary "Shoot Down."
Cristina Khuly, a 37-year-old sculptor, watched for years as her mother led a civil suit against the Cuban government on behalf of Khuly's slain uncle and other victims' relatives.
Khuly decided to make the film to find out what really happened to her uncle, Vietnam veteran Armando Alejandre Jr., as his plane was shot out of the sky over the Florida Straits.
She said she hopes understanding that piece of history will help both the U.S. and Cuba in the future as they negotiate relations in a post-Fidel Castro era.
The Associated Press
Sobrina de victima de Hermanos al Rescate presenta documental
August 13, 2007
Diez años después del derribamiento de dos aviones de Hermanos al Rescate, aprobado por el gobierno de Cuba, la sobrina de una de las víctimas presenta "Shoot Down", un documental que hizo en busca de respuestas y que espera sirva de lección para el futuro.
"Es una historia personal y sentí que realmente nadie la estaba contando correctamente", dijo en inglés a la AP Cristina Khuly, una escultora de 37 años que atestiguó la larga lucha de su madre por que se hiciera justicia. "Esencialmente quise tener un registro de lo que realmente ocurrió y usarlo como una ventana hacia nuestra relación con Cuba... Esta es una obra educativa".
Indie Wire
Sonoma Concludes 10th Edition with “Johnny Slade,” “Shoot Down” and “Rain in a Dry Land” Taking Prizes
April 26, 2007
The 10th anniversary Sonoma Valley Film Festival wrapped with the prize for best feature going to "Johnny Slade's Greatest Hits" by Larry Blamire, and Cristina Khuly's look at the evolution of Cuban-American foreign policy, "Shoot Down" and Anne Makepeace's "Rain in a Dry Land" about Somali refugees in America sharing best doc.
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel
"...gutsy and startlingly balanced...Shoot Down leaves us with hope."
Michael Moynihan, Reason Magazine
"...brilliantly rendered and scrupulously even-handed..."
Marta Barber, The Miami Herald
"....a first-rate film...revealing and moving."
Dennis Harvey, Daily Variety
While likely to irk those on either extreme – expats and conservatives who equate Castro with Hitler (as one does here), or those who consider Cuba the embattled last socialist utopia – “Shoot Down” does an admirably evenhanded job examining circumstances that led to two U.S. civilian planes being shot down by Cuban military aircraft 11 years ago.
…a competent investigation of a fascinating subject.
Leon Wieseltier, Literary Editor, The New Republic
The reconstruction of the shoot down is really gripping. The whole
thing is finally very moving, not least for the lucidity, the sobriety,
with which the director tells the tale; and the latter accomplishment
is even more considerable given her own closeness to the tragedy.”
Marshall McLean, Moving Pictures Magazine
Considering that the director is not only a first-time feature helmer
but also the niece of a Brothers pilot, the project is ambitious. The
ambition, however, is surpassed by the execution of this film, which
presents a powerful, moving and beautifully made piece of cinematic art.
Elena Cabral, Poder Magazine
The shimmering blue waters of the Florida Straits fill entire frames of Cristina Khuly’s documentary
“Shoot Down” like a character onto itself.
Henry Gomez, Cuban American Pundits.com
…this movie blew me away…an excellent and thought-provoking film.
Cineblog
…balanced and centered presentation…Khuly weaves through government posturing and positions, denials and recriminations, and brings to the screen a believable story… “Shoot Down” is a very good documentary.
Jason Weiner, Jason Watches Movies
It’s a great documentary, very balanced…
Steve Palopoli, Silicon Valley Metro
…this film has, in its short time, already set off a firestorm of controversy.
