"The Lost Son of Havana"

A very special film will make its debut this coming April 23rd at the Tribeca Film Festival here in New York. It is called "The Lost Son of Havana," and it's about all-time Red Sox fan favorite Luis Tiant and his journey back to his home in Cuba, which he had not seen in nearly 46 years.

"The Lost Son of Havana" is written and directed by eight-time National Sports Emmy winner Jonathan Hock, and it is presented by the Farrelly Brothers, who are the executive producers. Producer Kris Meyer met Tiant a few years back and told him it was a dream that he had to go back to his homeland. Meyer contacted the Farrellys, big Red Sox fans and makers of such films as "There's Something About Mary,""Kingpin" and "Fever Pitch." They got the ball rolling and Tiant was able to return to Cuba, and the filmmakers tagged along and documented Louie's dream come true.

The film includes Tiant's memorable baseball career (it should be a "Hall of Fame career" but that's another story), but the centerpiece of "The Lost Son of Havana" is Tiant's pilgrimage to Cuba, and how it helps Louie look forward to rest of his life by taking a look back at the place of his birth.

Both baseball history and political history are interwoven into the story, which includes Louie's father, who was a star lefty pitcher in Cuba, as well as in the Negro Leagues, and faced many American baseball stars, including Babe Ruth. His father and mother's return to Boston in 1975 to see their son pitch for the Red Sox in the World Series is recalled, along with Senator George McGovern's efforts to get them to the US after a late-night meeting with Fidel Castro. (Both of Louie's parents would pass away at his home, and within days of each other in 1976.)

"The Lost Son of Havana" is a Luis Tiant fans have never seen before, a man at the crossroads of his life at age 67, back where it all started for him.

The documentary is narrated by Academy Award-winning actor Chris Cooper, and it also features El Tiante's Red Sox teammates Carl Yastrzemski and Carlton Fisk, Peter Gammons and George McGovern. The film will make its debut at the Tribeca Film Festival on Thursday night, April 23rd, in two theaters at the AMC Village VII Cinema, on Third Avenue and E. 11th Street in Manhattan. There will be two shows that night, and tickets go on sale April 14th (this Tuesday) to the general public. Here's more from the Tribeca Film Festival's web site.

I hope you can join us at the AMC Village VII Cinemas on April 23rd, as it's sure to be a memorable night, seeing a touching film about an unforgettable man and his journey home.