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"Paisajes De Mi Abuela is a short film comprised of five scenes running between six and seven minutes. Viewed through the help of an Oculus Rift virtual reality headset, the film is scored only by the reminiscent remarks of Rodriguez’s abuela as she describes in hauntingly accurate detail the landscapes of her past."Miami New Times

"Like so many Cuban-American children of exiles, Miami-born Julian Yuri Rodriguez grew up hearing stories about the fabled island, about Havana’s narrow streets and Varadero’s endless white beaches, about a life long gone but certainly not forgotten. His maternal grandmother, Luisa Almeida, was Rodriguez’s favorite raconteur. Though she has never returned to Cuba after leaving in 1958, before Fidel Castro’s rise to power, she created a world that sparked a young boy’s interest. Years later, the result of those storytelling sessions would give rise to Paisajes De Mi Abuela, (My Grandmother’s Landscapes) a short film that uses virtual reality technology to bring alive Almeida’s treasured haunts. It makes its debut Friday at the National YoungArts Foundation as part of the Borscht Film Festival."Miami Herald

"She hasn't been the only one to get emotional. Many Cuban-Americans live in exile in Miami, unable to visit the place where they grew up. When Rivera showed the film to one of his friends, who had escaped illegally ten years ago, the reaction was instant. "After he took off the Oculus, his eyes were full of tears." Vice