Reviewed by Lydia Martin.

Inventos: Hip Hop Cubano is a must-see independent film made in 2003 that has been showing at a number of film festivals and events in the US and the UK for the past few months. The director and producer is the young American hip hop head Eli Jacobs-Fantauzzi whose film takes us by the hand on a walk into the world of Cuban hip hop.

Cuba evokes so much emotion for people all over the world--the romance, the music, the tropical life, and the politics of course. In the dust clouds all this churns up, we somehow lose sight of the fact that people really do live, work, and create there. Jacobs-Fantauzzi has cut through all this reaction and made a film with love and respect for the young Cubans he films--hip hop artists who take their role as creators and political commentators seriously, both within the community and as representatives of their country on the world wide stage. This documentary follows them in their daily lives of writing, performing and discussing Cuban music generally and specifically hip hop, and then as they go to the USA for the first time to record an album and perform. It is here that we get a powerful Cuban response to the US that contradicts what many would want us to believe--there's no wonder or envy, just a refreshing telling off for the waste and ostentation.

Hip hop in Cuba is a powerful movement--an arena in which young people are able to ask questions, debate issues and discuss the realities they live. The scene is informal and grass roots - performances take place in the back yard of someone's house or on a stage with a couple of mics.

This documentary falls into the category of a 'social' film by highlighting issues we're all focusing on these days--globalisation, world politics, development, poverty, identity and of course the USA. This film gives a voice to a particular group of young people from the developing world, but much of we see applies more broadly. Far from oppressed and docile, Cuban youth here are empowered, proud, and convinced of their power to make change for the better happen.

The documentary has a companion CD, Inventos: Mix Tape produced by Jacobs-Fantauzzi and DJ Icewater. The compilation offers 26 thumping tracks by the hip hop artists we meet in the film. Great production allows the old school style of scratching and mixing rumble around with some exciting ingredients taken from Cuba's famous musical past. You can buy the CD at clenchfistproductions.com. You can also order a copy of the documentary for screenings at this website. For more on Lydia Martin, visit lydiamartin.net.