DESCRIPTION/
In 1980, filmmaker Juan Carlos Zaldivar was a thirteen-year-old communist demonstrating against thousands of people who were deserting Cuba in the Muriel boatlift. Ironically, just one week later, Juan Carlos' father demanded that he and his older sister decide whether their family should join the overcrowded boat lifts and immigrate to the United States, to rejoin their relatives in Miami, leaving behind, possibly forever, their homeland Cuba. In 1998, Juan Carlos is the only one of his family who is willing to visit Cuba. Shot over a period of five years, 90 MILES looks at issues of trust, pride and responsibility and how the complexity of these issues shape the attitudes of Cubans towards the world and the people that they love. This film puts a face to a politically charged topic and serves as a testament to the Cuban and Cuban-American experience.

BIOGRAPHY/
Juan Carlos Zaldivar, director/producer, completed both his BFA and MFA in film studies at New York University's Film School. In 1990, his second short, "Palingenesis," was nominated for a Student Academy Award in the Experimental Category. His thesis film, "The Story of the Red Rose", premiered at Sundance '97 and was a Regional Semi-Finalist for a Student Academy Award; it was also awarded a grant from the Warner Bros. Film Production Fund and a Silver Plaque Award at the Chicago Int'l Film Festival. Juan produces for the PBS show "In The Life." He teaches at the Undergraduate Film Program at NYU; and he's a member of the National Association of Latino Independent Producers.

Nicole Betancourt, producer: Her first film, "Before you go: A Daughter's Diary", premiered on HBO on 1996 and won an Emmy for "Outstanding News and Documentary Individual Achievement". Nicole was an Associate/Field Producer for the PBS series "The Quiet Revolution" and Producer/Director of an educational video to aid survivors of hurricane Mitch entitled "Changing Course." Nicole is the Creative Director of MediaRights.org


CONTACT/
Juan Carlos Zaldivar
90 Miles
71 East 3rd Street # 9
New York, NY 10003
E-mail: info@ninetymiles.com
URL: www.ninetymiles.com