**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.