In the mid- to late-90s, thousands of Cuban refugees attempted to cross the Florida Straits by whatever means available - small boats, homemade rafts and inner tubes. Only one in four rafters made it to U.S. shores, with tens of thousands perishing at sea. A volunteer group based in Miami called "Brothers to the Rescue" was formed to patrol the Straights in small civilian aircraft, offering aid to rafters.

On February 24th, 1996, in the midst of heightening political unrest in Cuba and in the wake of a revised U.S. policy toward Cuban refugees, the unthinkable occurred. In those 90 miles of water separating the United States from Cuba, the Cuban government authorized two military fighter jets to attack and destroy unarmed civilian American aircraft over international waters.

In the tragic aftermath, four Americans were dead, U.S.-Cuban relations once again lay in tatters, a burgeoning and promising human rights movement in Cuba was crushed, and an unlikely heroine, Maggie Khuly, would lead the victims families on a 10-year struggle to piece together what really happened and why.

Winner of the 2007 Sonoma Film Festival Award for Best Documentary, Shoot Down is the first feature length film to tell the true and complex story behind one of the most pivotal events in U.S.-Cuba relations. It is a story of diplomatic relations, human rights, the fortitude of family and the dogged passion ignited by the search for truth and freedom.

First-time director Cristina Khuly, a first-generation Cuban-American whose uncle was among the four victims, mined 10 years of research, government documents, transcripts and never-before seen news footage of Fidel Castro to supplement hundreds of hours of original interviews in recounting the events leading up to and following the shoot down. Among the films most extraordinary moments are the use of actual voice recordings from the MiG pilots and their controllers in Havana, and the cockpit recordings from the doomed Cessna planes, edited to re-enact the shoot down itself.

The result is an unprecedented and compelling re-telling of a tragedy that is as relevant and provocative today as it was more than a decade ago.

Variety's Dennis Harvey hails Shoot Down as “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.”

Armando Alejandre Jr.

Born in Havana on April 16, 1950, Armando Alejandre Jr. left Cuba for the United States when he was 10 years old. His family settled in Miami and he became a naturalized US citizen. Dedicated to his new country, Armando joined the US Marines and served an eight-month tour of duty in Vietnam, retiring with the rank of Sergeant. After the war, Armando completed his college education at Florida International University and worked as a consultant to the Metro-Dade Transit Authority. A well known activist in the Cuban exile community of Miami, Armando, though not a Brothers to the Rescue pilot, was flying with the Brothers on February 24th, 1996. Armando was one of the four men murdered on that day. He was 45 years old. Armando is survived by Marlene Alejandre, his wife of 21 years, their daughter Marlene  Alejandre Triana, who was 18 years old at the time of her father's death, his parents, and three sisters.


Carlos Costa

Carlos Costa was born in the US on June 23, 1966. Always fascinated by flight, Carlos earned his Bachelor's degree at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and worked as a training specialist for the Dade County Aviation Department. Carlos joined Brothers to the Rescue in 1992. As a Brothers to the Rescue pilot, he flew over 140 missions over the Florida Straits, assisting in the rescue of 456 Cuban refugees. Carlos' plane was shot down by Cuban MiGs over international airspace on February 24, 1996, and Carlos was killed. He was 29 years old. Carlos is survived by his parents Mirta and Osvaldo Costa and his sister, Mirta Mendez.


Mario De La Peña

Mario de la Peña was a Cuban-American born in Weehawken, New Jersey on December 28, 1971 and raised in Miami. Mario always knew that he wanted to be a pilot. He was in his last semester at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University when he was killed, and was posthumously granted a bachelor's degree in professional aeronautics. While studying to be a commercial pilot, Mario volunteered for Brothers to the Rescue. He flew on over 95 rescue missions over the Florida Straits. Mario explained his dedication to this mission by saying:
"I can't conceive life without freedom of expression; I've always thought of it as something natural, and now I realize how important and fundamental it is in life, and how terrible it is to live without it."
On February 24th, 1996, Mario's plane was shot down by Cuban MiGs and disappeared without a trace. Mario was only 24 years old. He is survived by his parents Mario and Miriam de la  Peña,  and a younger brother, Michael.


Pablo Morales

Pablo Morales was born in Havana on May 16th, 1966.  He fled Cuba on a raft in 1992, and was rescued by Brothers to the Rescue pilots. After arriving in Miami, Pablo studied cartography and graduated as a geodist.  He also volunteered with Brothers to the Rescue, the group that had saved his life.  Pablo was also a poet.  He wrote this poem expressing his feelings about both his original and adopted homelands:
"In American soil, I experienced the immensity of liberty for which I longed in the land I left behind. Here I will struggle tirelessly to see my country free of evil. I will strive to gain true freedom."
On February 24th, 1996, Pablo was flying in one of the two planes that was shot down by Cuban MiGs over the Florida Straits.  Pablo was 29 years old.  He is survived by his mother Eva and his sister Nancy.