Vivir en la Habana

There’s a new documentary tracing Blondie’s time performing in Cuba
By Alex James Taylor | Film+TV | 3 May 2021

A new documentary about Blondie is set to premiere at Sheffield Doc Fest next month focusing on the band’s 2019 trip to Havana, Cuba, where they were invited as part of a cultural exchange programme through the Cuban Ministry of Culture.

Titled Blondie: Vivir en la Habana, the film offers an intimate look at Debbie Harry and co as they perform and collaborate with local musicians – documenting the “magical exchange between musicians from the two cities each call home and their intertwined influence.” Having always drawn inspiration from Latin and Caribbean music, the trip was a decades-long dream for Blondie guitarist Chris Stein, who came up with the initial idea of gigging there.

First envisioned as a short film by director Rob Roth before being adapted into a feature-length work, the project was shot entirely on 16mm and 8mm film and is narrated by the band.


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