00:00
A movie titled Los Friis is premiering at the Miami Film Festival
00:03
this week. Have you heard of the real life story?
00:06
No, I actually haven't re until recently.
00:10
The, so the movie portrays the Cuban 19 nineties punk rock
00:16
they injected themselves with the HIV virus to be able to live
00:19
in government funded treatment homes.
00:21
Instead of being out on the streets,
00:24
Los Friis were often targeted and arrested by Cuban authorities.
00:28
They saw injecting themselves with the virus as an escape from society
00:32
and a form of protest,
00:34
they would make music in the treatment homes where they had access
00:37
to food and other resources.
00:39
Our next guest Francesca Pagani interviewed surviving members of Los Fris for
00:44
her 2017 vice documentary.
00:47
Meet the Cuban punks who infected themselves with HIV in protest.
00:52
Here she is to explain.
00:55
Hello, Francesca. Welcome,
01:00
You directed and produced a documentary about Los Fris.
01:03
Can you explain who they were and what was their movement about
01:09
I went to Cuba to the Pinard Rio region to meet some
01:14
of the surviving members of Los Friis.
01:18
who were an underground movement of punk rockers that formed
01:23
in Cuba, in a time of hardship that was called
01:28
the Special Period, which started around 1991.
01:33
And they were rebels and against the authoritarian government.
01:40
They wore punk clothes and listened to punk music and heavy
01:46
metal. And they were often brutalized by the police
01:55
they were, they were not free to express themselves.
01:57
And for that reason,
02:00
many of them ended up self injecting themselves with HIV
02:05
virus in order to be quarantined in what they were at the
02:09
time called Sanitarium, which were basically health center facilities
02:15
where they would be isolated and allowed to play music
02:20
because they were, they were quarantine.
02:23
And so they were sort of left alone.
02:30
that was sort of the,
02:30
the movement. So how was your experience interviewing the Survivor members
02:36
of Los Fris in Cuba?
02:39
What did you learn about them?
02:42
the project was quite an adventure because I wasn't able to get
02:46
in touch with them prior my visit.
02:50
So I had heard a podcast on radio mbue about the story
02:57
and decided to go down call a fixer.
03:01
So a local person that knew where the Sanitarium was and also
03:06
where the last surviving woman who used to be the partner
03:12
at the time of the first person that self injected themselves
03:17
with HIV virus. This guy named Paul A Bala,
03:23
one of the leaders of,
03:24
of the, of one of the bands and sort of consider
03:27
one of the leaders of the freaky movement.
03:30
I was traveling with a AAA colleague who had played punk
03:35
music as well back in the States.
03:38
And so I think that element of connection sort of allowed us
03:42
to,, let ourselves in a little bit and,
03:46
and they were, they were pretty,
03:48
pretty lonely. I mean,
03:50
They, they still lived in that old facility which is half
03:57
yeah, it's pretty dire conditions.
03:59
So they were resisting.
04:01
But at the same time,
04:02
their story was sort of like what all they had left.
04:06
So they actually ended up opening up and,
04:11
can you describe what their treatment centers were like?
04:14
Were they really a haven for them?
04:17
I mean, I think they were he in the sense that
04:20
they were not brutalized and arrested and beaten up as they
04:24
were outside on the sidewalk.
04:27
Because at the time you could even like,
04:29
listen to, for example,
04:31
English speaking music or music that was coming from the US
04:38
you know, they would,
04:39
they would choose like clothing that was,
04:41
they were very radical and,
04:43
and different and, and so all of that were causing them
04:47
arrested often and, and so in this,
04:50
sort of quarantine facilities,
04:52
they literally had the freedom of being left alone and perform their
04:58
music. They also had pretty good,
05:03
provisions. So sometimes they would be able to eat meat or
05:06
things that were otherwise very difficult to find around Cuba.
05:13
they were, they were heavens,
05:15
you know, and lastly are you planning on watching the upcoming
05:18
movie? And what are your thoughts on that?
05:21
Yeah, so I had spoken once,
05:24
I believe with one of the executive of this film that called
05:29
It's a powerful story.
05:30
Most people is, is not around anymore.
05:35
I'm very curious to see their interpretation and I believe it's a
05:40
it's, it's a powerful idea to do it in a
05:42
fictionalized narrative form. Well,
05:45
thank you so much for being here today with us Francesca.
05:50
very interesting to learn about this story.
05:53
I hadn't heard about it before.
05:55
And thank you. Thank you.
05:56
And I just before you go.
05:58
where can people find you?
06:01
Yes. So I have a website which is my name
06:04
Francesca pagani.com. I do documentary,
06:08
film and video journalism and other things as a cinematographer.
06:13
And I have also my Instagram,
06:15
which is also my name Franchi,
06:18
the nickname version Franchi Pagani.
06:21
So yeah, you can find me there.
06:24
Francesca. Lovely, take care.
06:29
Thanks. Nice to meet you too.
Series