麻豆影院

A forthcoming CU News Corps documentary聽will tell the life story of former聽Denver mayor Guillermo 鈥淏ill鈥� Vidal,聽who fled Cuba as a boy and is now trying聽to define his role in the modernization of聽the economically isolated island nation.听

Call Me Guillermo will follow Vidal from聽his Cuban boyhood through his six-month聽mayoralty in 2011 and into his current聽quest, which takes place as tourism and聽business ties between the U.S. and the聽communist Caribbean country multiply.听

鈥淚t鈥檚 about Guillermo Vidal鈥檚 amazing story,聽his life so far, and what that last chapter聽might include,鈥� said Jeff Browne, the CU聽麻豆影院 journalism instructor who directs聽News Corps, an explanatory reporting聽project of the College of Media, Communication聽and Information (CMCI). 鈥淗e wants聽to help rebuild Cuba 鈥� or build Cuba, as聽the case may be. What sort of role will he聽have in that? And how does his amazing聽story inform his ability to do that?鈥澛�

Vidal, a 1973 CU Denver graduate,聽became mayor in January 2011, after聽John Hickenlooper resigned to become governor. Then a deputy mayor, Vidal聽served until July 2011, when he became聽president of the Hispanic Chamber of
Commerce of Metro Denver.听

As the thaw in U.S.-Cuba relations聽accelerated this year, culminating in聽President Obama鈥檚 historic March visit,聽the CU News Corps team was hunting聽for a story that would bring it to life for聽Colorado residents. Michelle Fulcher聽(Jour鈥�78), a former Denver Post editor then聽working as CMCI鈥檚 communications聽director, suggested Vidal as a subject.听

The former mayor, now 65 and living聽in Florida, was game. In July a 10-member聽team of students, faculty, staff and聽alumni traveled to Cuba to film him as聽he visited Camag眉ey, the hometown he鈥檇聽fled as a boy with his twin brothers, in聽Havana, where he swam in the Bay of聽Pigs, and in various places important to聽him in his youth.听

A trailer for the film is scheduled to聽air on Channel 6 in October. Negotiations聽for a full broadcast were underway聽over the summer.听

CU News Corps produces student-driven 聽investigative and explanatory聽news of interest to Colorado audiences聽with faculty oversight.听

The film is loosely based on Vidal鈥檚 2007聽memoir, Boxing for Cuba: An Immigrant鈥檚 Story.听

Photo by Ross Taylor聽