A Documentary Film

Shoot Down

The distance between the U.S. and Cuba is greater than 90 miles

Film Festival Laurels

"…an admirably evenhanded job examining circumstances that led to two U.S. civilian planes being shot down by Cuban military aircraft..."

VARIETY

"…Khuly painstakingly deconstructs these events while keeping an impartial tone…quite revealing and moving."

THE MIAMI HERALD

"an illuminating account of the events leading to the tragedy and the ignoble reaction of the politically compromised Clinton administration..."

THE WASHINGTON POST

SYNOPSIS

A TRUE STORY OF FREEDOM, LOSS, AND THE SEARCH FOR JUSTICE

In the mid-to-late 90’s, 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 Straits in small civilian aircraft, offering aid to rafters. On February 24th, 1996 the unthinkable occurred. 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.

FULL SYNOPSIS ❯

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THE DIRECTOR

CRISTINA M. KHULY

Cristina Khuly is an artist living in Charlottesville, VA. Her work spans various media from film to sculpture. From 2005 to 2017 Ms. Khuly was the Creative Director of Entertaining Ideas (formerly Rogues Harbor Studios), which she co-founded in 2005. Ms. Khuly oversaw Entertaining Ideas’ development of projects and was responsible for developing the Oscar nominated documentary films War Dance (2007) and How to Survive a Plague (2012). Her directorial debut, Shoot Down (2008), won the 2007 Best Documentary prize at the Sonoma Valley Film Festival. The film was released theatrically in January 2008 and is ranked among the top-grossing political documentaries.

FULL BIOGRAPHY ❯

REVIEWS

IN THE MEDIA

  • “Khuly painstakingly deconstructs these events while keeping an impartial tone...soundtrack by Ed Bilous avoids using old Cuban music to manipulate sentimentality…magnificent photography by Claudia Raschke of the Havana shoreline as well as the magnificent blue skies over the Florida Straits…Even if you followed these events and know the details well, Shoot Down is quite revealing, and moving.”

    Marta Berber, The Miami Herald

  • "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…"

    Dennis Harvey, Variety

  • “…Cristina Khuly, whose uncle was among the murdered, has pieced together an illuminating account of the events leading to the tragedy and the ignoble reaction of the politically compromised Clinton administration...”

    Desson Thomson, The Washington Post

  • “Khuly has made a gutsy and startlingly balanced take on the events of that day in February 1996… She sets the stage for the chilling and plainly cold-blooded shoot-down of two of those slow Cesnas by Cuban MiG fighter jets, and recreates that crime in detail.”

    Roger Moore, Sentinel Movie Critic, Orlando Sentinel

  • “The camerawork is polished and accompanied by a poignant score. The combination is so well executed, it would distract from a weaker story (this is high-stakes political drama, with Cuban spies and an alleged cover-up with far-reaching implications).”

    Marshall McLean, Moving Pictures Magazine

AUDIO

RAÚL CASTRO INTERCEPT

The following is an original audio clip of Raúl Castro related to the shoot down. This clip is among many original archival materials featured in the documentary.

Translated Excerpt: “Five Generals were given the authority. I said try to shoot them down above the territory. But they would come into Havana and then leave the city. If one of those rockets hits plane to plane a ball of fire would fall on our city. I said, shoot them down over the sea when they appear and don't ask those in authority.”

RaÚl Castro Full Audio Intercept
(Original Spanish)

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