In Major League Cuban, Joe Cardona explores the story of Cubans and baseball.
In this first episode of The DADE Podcast, we’re talking with Emmy-winning filmmaker Joe Cardona. He's directed, produced and written 19 feature-length documentaries, most of which have aired nationally on PBS. Some of the highlights of his work include Café con Leche, Celia the Queen, Miami Boheme, and The Day it Snowed in Miami.
Joe has also written and directed two feature films: Bro and Water Mud & Factories. He is also an op-ed columnist for the Miami Herald.
Joe is a proud Miamian, the son of Cuban exile parents, and the father of an eight-year-old daughter aptly named Celia (for Cuban salsa legend Celia Cruz, the subject of Celia the Queen.
Joe’s most recent film is Major League Cuban, which will premier March 7 at 8 p.m. on PBS in South Florida, then air around the country at various points in the summer of 2017 and eventually be made available on PBS’ website.
Major League Cuban explores the history of baseball in Cuba and the game’s significance to Cubans on the island and in exile. I met with Joe at Little Havana Cigar Factory — in the heart of Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood — to talk about his film over some stogies and, as you’ll hear in this episode, some unexpectedly romantic mood music.
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Nicolás Antonio Jiménez is the founder of DADE. He’s always working through his rotation of writer, podcast host, podcast producer, photographer and editor hats.
A Miami native and graduate of the Missouri School of Journalism, Nick’s background includes work in democracy promotion, human rights advocacy, content marketing and magazine journalism (most recently as senior editor of Cigar Snob).