Tracing anti-U.S. sentiment as it builds in Latin America, the film juxtaposes the candid humanity of life in a Caracas slum with the actions of diplomats and political figures, including Cuba’s Fidel Castro addressing a rally of one million people.
Asked by ABC in 1960 to do a story on Latin America, Drew Associates returned with Yanki No!, which drew raves from critics marveling at how the newfangled portable cameras – wielded by Albert Maysles on Fidel Castro and Richard Leacock on slums in Caracas – could capture a story.
“The report hit like a fist and left some haunting images in the viewer’s mind,” wrote Time Magazine.
ABC’s news chief quit over the film, which had been commissioned without his knowledge.