“Beyond the Sea (Más Allá del Mar)' tells the story of the Mariel boatlift from Cuba, which began in April 1980. More than 11,000 Cubans crowded the Peruvian embassy grounds, refusing to go until they were granted permission to leave the island country. Soon, Fidel Castro opened the Mariel port, about 90 miles from the southern tip of Florida, to American shrimp boats, fishing vessels, and private crafts, that over the next months would ferry thousands to exile in the United States.

'Beyond the Sea (Más Allá del Mar),' directed by Lisandro Pérez-Rey, combines news clips with interviews with the boatlift refugees. Survivors speak of their belief in the value of hard work and remember the episode as the most fortunate thing to happen to them. Others include immigrant success stories and unfortunate ones as well.

This film is in Spanish with English subtitles (running time: 80 minutes), and currently playing only in New York City at the Two Boots Pioneer Theater, 155 East Third Street, at Avenue A, East Village.