Facts on Castro's Oppression: terrifying realites of life inside totalitarian regime. ***Testimony before the House International Relations Committee in Washington, D.C., given on April 16, 2003. Mr. Chairman, members of the committee, you are to be commended for holding this hearing to spotlight the recent crackdown in Cuba. The committee's continuing interest in the situation in Cuba is particularly well timed and welcome, given the growing international concern over the efforts of the repressive regime to stifle independent voices and a growing demand for democracy.***
PBS Plans Documentary on Cuba's Castro *** LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Less than a week after HBO yanked Oliver Stone's documentary on Fidel Castro, PBS said it's tackling the life of the controversial Cuban dictator. WGBH Boston has started production on a two-hour political biography of Castro, who has led Cuba since 1959, for the PBS "American Experience" series. Producer Adriana Bosch plans to interview Cuban public officials, former political prisoners and Castro friends and family members as well as world leaders.
Bosch is an experienced documentarian whose "American Experience" biography on Ronald Reagan (news) won a George Foster Peabody Award. The Castro documentary is slated to air next year. "There is a need for an objective, well-researched documentary on Castro," Margaret Drain, executive producer of "American Experience," said in a statement. "For nearly 50 years, he has commanded our attention ... yet he is unknown to most of us. Current events in Cuba make this film particularly relevant." ***