Rancor is a documentary short directed by Carlos Alejandro Halley and presented as part of the Cuban Independent Contemporary Shorts Series, a program of five films that reflect on Cuba’s present through themes of memory, displacement, and disillusionment.

The film centers on a young Cuban man living abroad as he reflects on three places that have shaped his life: his present in Madrid, where he lives with his wife and dog; his family ties in Miami; and his connection to a pre-revolutionary Cuba through a family home that no longer anchors anyone. Moving across these spaces, Rancor offers a quiet and personal exploration of migration, distance, and belonging.

The film features the work of Fernando Fraguela Fosado, a current Cuban Migrant Artists Resilience Fellowship (CMARF) fellow, who served as editor and one of the film’s producers.

ARC is proud to support Fernando as part of our 2026 CMARF cohort and to see his work contribute to a film premiering at the Miami Film Festival, highlighting the global impact and continued evolution of Cuban independent cinema.

Synopsis adapted from Miami Film Festival materials.