Fidel Castro's daughter on her life as a dissident of his regime

[0:00] Well, she is a producer, a director, and a fierce opponent of the Castro regime in Cuba. [0:05] The conversation surrounding her homeland is so personal, she has a biographical documentary [0:11] debuting at the Miami Film Festival tomorrow. But why is the documentary focused on her? [0:17] Well, maybe it's because she is the daughter of Fidel Castro. The film is an intimate look at [0:22] the duality of loving your homeland and rejecting the ideology imposed on it by her father. All of [0:28] this as the current president of Cuba says he is not stepping down. And as President Trump continues [0:34] to float the possibility of a takeover, our Lindsay Davis had this extraordinary conversation. [0:40] My passion was Cuba, my country, for many, many years. You cannot imagine the treasures that we [0:49] have there. Why did you leave? Alina Fernandez. In Miami, pretty much everybody knows who Alina is. [0:56] Alina is one of the bravest people that I know. Everybody knows in some way or know that she [1:02] was the daughter of Castro. Keeping that secret is a little bit difficult. [1:08] Alina Fernandez, we thank you so much for taking the time to speak with us today. [1:13] Revolution's Daughter delves into the lives of people who were impacted by Fidel Castro's regime. [1:17] And you, of course, are a central subject in the documentary. You grew up in Havana initially not [1:23] knowing that Fidel Castro was your father. What was it like for you to learn for the first time [1:28] that that was your dad? I wasn't too surprised because at that time he used to be a very late [1:35] night visitor to the house. At the same time, it felt like a relief because I just lost who I [1:41] considered to be my father as a traitor, as a political traitor a few years before. But it didn't [1:50] alleviate anything. You've said before that you often feared Castro's wrath. What was your [1:56] relationship with your father like? I think it depended on him. It was never dictated my [2:05] needs or my emotion. He was a busy person. And he showed up eventually every two, three years, [2:14] all of a sudden. Your escape from Cuba in the 90s is the stuff of legend. What gave you the courage [2:21] to leave everything behind in an act of rebellion against your own father's regime? [2:27] Well, let me say that the Cubans, we have been the subject of a very bizarre social experiment, [2:33] which is that we have to survive under a revolution that had lasted already 67 years. [2:40] So imagine what the French would have done if they had last as long, right? And it's been a very [2:46] traumatic experience for five generations of Cuba, Cubans. And I didn't have the courage to go and [2:53] get in a raft to take my daughter out of the country. But I did try my best and I was able to escape [3:00] with a falsified passport many, many years ago. The documentary Revolution's Daughter features you [3:06] and other prominent Cuban-born Americans like Gloria Estefan. What's the overriding message that you hope [3:12] viewers will take away and hold on to? We want to keep the subject of Cuba alive like it is in this [3:21] moment. We are waiting for something to happen. Everybody has expectations about the actual [3:27] situation. It's very confusing. It's hopeful. And at the same time, it's a bitter one. But we have [3:33] waiting for so long to see Cuba free. The documentary, of course, comes during a critical time in Cuba. [3:40] We're seeing the worst economic and energy crises on the island in decades, [3:44] with President Trump suggesting that the regime will ultimately be toppled. How do you [3:48] see all of this playing out? I will say that this is not something that is happening now. We've been [3:54] having this situation for many, many years, I think. The Cuban economy never worked. Again, [4:02] it's a social experiment that it never worked. You've called for regularly for decades, as you did [4:09] just a few moments ago for a free Cuba throughout your life as an activist. What changes are most [4:16] necessary, would you say, to achieve that goal? I think that the regime lost the war against the [4:22] imperialism, which is the war against America. And I think it's common sense to give up and do the best [4:30] for your people. I think that an administrator, a president, needs to attend the needs of its own [4:38] people. And we've been living for decades already in misery just because of an ideological madness. [4:47] Is there something that the Cuban people can or should be doing, in your estimation? [4:55] It's impossible to overthrow a regime like this, you know, just banging in cuisine goods. It's very [5:05] difficult. It's very difficult. They are showing their needs in the way they can. They're afraid. [5:11] They're repressed. It's a very tough situation right now. But people are suffering, and they've been [5:18] suffering for years. And it's good that at this moment, and thanks to this administration, for [5:23] example, the world is looking at what has been happening in Cuba for years. [5:28] Alina Fernandez, we thank you so much for your time. Really appreciate you joining us. [5:34] Thank you.