Una Vez Más

Una Ves Más / Once Again
Filmed in TIjuana/San Diego 2013
Directed by Zeji Ozeri
Edited by Joaquin Elizondo
Produced by Pepe Stepensky, Sore Gordon & David Chait
Original Music by Jamie Dunlap
Other stock music used under creative commons.

Una Vez Más

As a young man Humberto “Beto” Gurmilan had dreams of becoming a professional in the world of sports broadcasting but one tragic day his dreams were derailed by a surfing accident that changed his life and that of his family.

Beto, as his friends call him, did not let that hold him back and through a rigorous rehabilitation process, a lot of faith and the unconditional support from friends and family he recovered and became a successful sports reporter for well known Spanish television network Telemundo, in the United States.

Un Vez Más, or “Once again” in english, documents the everyday life of Beto Gurmilan and takes an inside look at how he has overcome a catastrophic spinal cord injury that left him paralyzed at the age of 15. It takes a glimpse into his life and follows him through his unpredictable daily life as a professional broadcaster, college professor and how he motivates others to accomplish their goals and live a happy and fulfilling life.

For Beto, the ocean was a source of inspiration and surfing was a way of life. In Una Vez Más he looks to complete what could be his greatest feat yet as he tries to surf again after 19 years away from the sport.

Beto started teaching as an Adjunct Professor at San Diego City College in Fall of 2011. This film was shot in the Summer of 2013 in San Diego and Tijuana and premiered September 24th of that year. Since the screening the film received three regional NATAS PSW Emmys for best Documentary, Best Direction and Best Editing.

Beto has not retired from the media and is an adjunct professor for San Diego City College, Southwester College and Southern New Hampshire University. Beto also serves on the San Ysidro School District Governing Board and the City of San Diego Mobility Board. In 2015 he founded the Gurmilan Foundation (www.gurmilanfoundation.org) to help empower people with disabilities.

Beto continues to surf and deliver a message of hope and resiliency everywhere he goes. Visit www.humbertogurmilan.com for more on his journey.