Where to Watch Cuban Films
Visit the Vassar library
Vassar's Thompson Memorial Library is home to over 150 Cuban films in DVD and VHS formats.
DVD
DVDs are located in Room 255 of the library on the second floor. You can find them in a large set of metal drawers at the far side of the room. The films are sorted by date of acquisition, so films about Cuba are not grouped together. Consult our complete list of Cuban films at Vassar to find the call number of the film you're looking for.
You can check out a DVD player from the library to view DVDs on your computer.
VHS
VHS tapes are located in Stack 1 of the library on the ground floor. This space is primarily government documents, but the tapes are located near the back of the room. Films about Cuba are not grouped together, so you can consult our complete list of Cuban films at Vassar to find the call number of the film you're looking for.
There is a kiosk within the library’s technology center where you can play VHS tapes on a VCR. Alternatively you can play those films in the library classroom, so long as you are not preventing others from using the space during busy times.
Streaming
Stream for Free
YouTube & Vimeo
Many filmmakers have made their films available for free on sites such as YouTube and Vimeo. You can find many of these films in our guide here.
Kanopy
With a Poughkeepsie Library Card (available to all Vassar students), you can use Kanopy to view dozens of Cuban films. Among the films currently in this collection are Un Traductor (2018, Rodrigo Barriuso & Sebastián Barriuso), El Acompañante (2015, Pavel Giroud), and Return to Cuba (2016, David Fabrega).
Tubi
Tubi is a free-with-ads streaming service. As of 2021 the site holds nearly 30 titles made by Cubans or about Cuba. Many are documentaries produced by Americans, though you can also find titles such as Nada+ (2001) and Viva Cuba (2005) by Juan Carlos Cremata Malbertí.
Other Streaming Options
The films available on any streaming service are constantly changing. To keep track of what is available, it can be helpful to use a service such as ReelGood, which aggregates where films are available across all streaming services. (Keep in mind that just because one of these sites says a film is unavailable, doesn’t mean that you might not be able to locate it somewhere else streaming).