“TAN LEJOS, TAN CERCA”
Documentary series shot in Havana, Cuba
“So Far, Yet So Close”
"Tan Lejos, Tan Cerca" ("So Far, Yet So Near") is a series of short documentaries that tell the stories of some of the countless Cubans who have said goodbye to loved ones that left the island and how they try to stay connected despite the distance.
Presented by the international calling app Rebtel, the project’s title refers to the distance between Cuba and America - just 90 miles away from each other, but feeling worlds apart due to various borders between them. Whether geographical, technological, political, economic, or cultural.
Yet despite major technological limitations and prohibitively high costs of international calls, in their relentless spirit of resilience, Cubans always make things work and never let anything get in the way of their connection.
"Tan Lejos, Tan Cerca" consisted of five emotional portraits of inspiring Cubans sharing their stories about the loves ones who have left them, and how they keep their connection strong beyond borders.
Along with the documentary shorts, Rebtel also collaborated with Cuban rappers El Individuo & J.D. Asere to create an original song and music video, which served as an anthem and teaser for the project.
As Creative Director at Rebtel, I developed “Tan Lejos, Tan Cerca” together with my in-house creative team, co-produced the project, directed the documentaries and music video (despite speaking muy, muy, muy poco español), and co-edited all of the films.
I was also involved planning of the premiere party in Miami, setting the media strategy, and developing full-funnel marketing campaigns from all of the beautiful content that our team captured in Cuba.
“Tan Lejos, Tan Cerca” almost marked a new strategy for Rebtel and how the brand connects with its biggest market, the Cuban diaspora.
In the highly competitive market of international calling, most brands point their cameras at their actual users - the expats who call home. For instance, Rebtel had worked with Miami-based Cuban comedians Los Pichy Boys for several years, creating humorous campaigns about the life of Cubans abroad.
But Rebtel decided to create a bold campaign that went beyond entertaining and selling to the Cuban diaspora. Something that got to the heart of why Rebtel does what it does. So our team flew to Havana to put the spotlight not on our customers, but on the people on the other side of the line - sharing a touching reminder and powerful tribute to all Cubans - no matter how near or far.
Te amo, Cuba <3
