**Please pass on to all lists***

CHIAPAS MEDIA PROJECT/Promedios FALL TOUR 2007
Chiapas Media Project (CMP)/Promedios seeks university, cultural and  
community-based sponsors to host screenings on our Fall Tour 2007.  
The tour will feature videos produced by indigenous video makers from  
the states of Chiapas and Guerrero, Mexico. Dates are scheduled on a  
first come, first-served basis and fill up fast, so please contact us  
as soon as possible.

CMP/Promedios is an award winning, bi-national partnership that  
provides video equipment, computers and training enabling  
marginalized indigenous and campesino communities in Southern Mexico  
to create their own media. CMP/Promedios is currently distributing 26  
indigenous produced videos worldwide.

CMP/Promedios have presented their videos at numerous universities,  
museums, and film and video festivals around the world. CMP/Promedios  
have done presentations at Yale University, MIT, Columbia  
University,  Harvard University, La Trobe University, (Melbourne,  
Australia), National University (Bogotá, Colombia), Sundance Film  
Festival, Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, Museum  
of Modern Art, NYC, Margaret Mead Film and Video Festival and the  
Intl. Human Rights Film Fest in Buenos Aires among others.

Aasia Mohammad Castaneda, US Coordinator, will present the videos.  
Presentations last between one-and-a-half and two hours, include  
video screenings and a discussion on the role of indigenous media and  
self-representation in the context of the current socio-political  
situations in Mexico and Latin America. A Q & A session follows the  
video screening. Presentations can be done in either Spanish or  
English. Sponsors need to provide a video projector, a VCR with audio  
system and comfortable seating.

CMP/Promedios asks for an honorarium based on the means of the host  
organization to help continue the work of the CMP/Promedios. Press  
kits are available that include articles on CMP/Promedios, bios,  
photos etc. Please check our web site: www.chiapasmediaproject.org/ 
presskit for more information.

For further information, please call us at 773-504-4144 or e-mail us  
at [log in to unmask]

DATES CONFIRMED:

September 5-8, 2007 Latin American Studies Association, Montreal, Canada

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The Chiapas Media Project is remarkable! This project is a rare and  
powerful example of how indigenous people are using the weapons of  
technology and trans-nationalism to make their voices heard and  
advance their struggles. Not only are their videos wonderful teaching  
resources, but their presentations inspire students and faculty alike  
to rethink old ideas about indigenous cultures, and forge new ties of  
solidarity.
Maria Elena Garcia, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Sarah  
Lawrence College

CMP videos inform and inspire--the videos are gems. CMP presentations  
are lively and instructive, going beyond the background we need to  
understand the videos to provide hard-to-get updates on contemporary  
rural Mexico. We hear the wonderful stories behind the videos and  
learn about the process whereby video makers and communities interact  
to shape video story and imagery.
William H. Fisher, Associate Professor of Anthropology, William and  
Mary College
The CMP presentation led our students to a place where idealism and  
courage confront injustice. It is evident that the CMP videos and the  
discussions that followed have had a long-term impact; students refer  
to the Zapatistas repeatedly. In times when young people can be  
overwhelmed with feelings of insignificance, we are grateful for the  
opportunity to challenge the cynical world fostered by commercial media.

Janice Windborne, Ph.D. Dept. Media, Journalism & Film, Southwest  
Missouri State University

The films have a powerful human component that you just ca not get  
from secondary sources about the injustices occurring in Chiapas and  
Guerrero. Bringing the event to the Fresno State campus provided a  
setting for exposure and learning that otherwise would not be  
present. It’s artistic and informative.
Maria Sofia Corona-Solyluna, Fresno State M.E.Ch.A/USAS

CMP documentaries are an essential point of entry into the world of  
indigenous resistance. CMP videos accomplish their goal of telling  
the story from the perspective of the indigenous by implementing the  
concept of autonomy in their approach to video production. These  
documentaries are an irreplaceable guide for understanding the  
autonomous movement and why it is a workable alternative to corporate  
controlled globalization.
Glen David Kuecker, Assistant Professor of Latin American History,  
DePauw University
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NEW VIDEOS AVAILABLE FOR SCREENINGS:

“A Very Big Train Called the Other Campaign” 2006, 39:00, Spanish w/ 
English subtitles

In January 2006, Subcomandante Marcos began his tour of the Mexico,  
known as La Otra (The Other Campaign), the Zapatista initiative  
launched in an effort to evolve new forms of governance in Mexico and  
beyond. A Very Big Train called the Other Campaign, follows  
preparatory meetings between indigenous communities and Mexican civil  
society before launching La Otra. This production was realized by  
indigenous video makers of 4 of the 5 Zapatista Caracoles in Chiapas,  
Mexico.

*We will also be screening a new video on Zapatista Education:  
“Letters for our Words”

OTHER VIDEOS AVAILABLE FOR SCREENINGS:

***Videos can be purchased at www.chiapasmediaproject.org***

The Land Belongs to Those who Work it

(Tzeltal and Spanish with English Subtitles, 15 minutes, 2005)

The video discusses the situation in the town of Bolon Aja'aw,  
located in the north of the state near the famous Agua Azul river  
system. The federal government sold the land in Bolon aja'aw to a  
private company to create an eco-tourism center without the  
permission of the community members. The video documents a meeting  
between Zapatista authorities and Mexican Government functionaries,  
and offers a critical look at the practical implications of so-called  
eco-tourism.

We are Equal: Zapatista Women Speak

(Spanish and Tzeltal with English subtitles, 18 minutes, 2004)

Zapatista women speak about what their lives were like before the  
uprising in 1994 and how their lives have changed since.  A very  
upfront and critical look at gender relations within the Zapatista  
communities - how far women have come and how far they still need to go.

Eyes on What’s Inside: The Militarization of Guerrero

(Tlapaneco and Spanish with English subtitles, 2004)

Inez and Valentina, two indigenous women from the montaña region of  
Guerrero were raped by Mexican soldiers. Eyes on What’s Inside looks  
at the economic, social and political factors that lead to these  
rapes. The Organization of Indigenous People Me phaa (OIPM) share  
their story but it is really the story of many indigenous communities  
in Guerrero.  Discussed are the destabilizing effects of the military  
presence on indigenous communities, and how the increasing poverty/ 
marginalization of the population has contributed to the formation of  
armed guerilla groups and the presence of narcotrafficking. The  
Mexican Constitution lays out the internal role of the military and  
Guerrero presents a clear example of how the military acts outside of  
it’s constitutional mandate.