* Latin America: The Inter-American Development Bank concluded that remittances to Latin American and the Caribbean are expected to increase this year though a weaker dollar and rising inflation could affect its “purchasing power” in some countries.
* Mexico: A judge ruled that "Presumed Guilty", a documentary critical of the Mexican judicial system, can continue its popular run in movie theaters.
* Haiti: U.S. State Department officials have urged exiled former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide to avoid returning to Haiti at least until presidential elections take place on Sunday.
* Venezuela: According to a report by a local NGO, 3114 protests (or an average of 8.5 per day) took place in Venezuela during 2010.
Image – LAHT Online Sources- El Universal, ABC News, The Latin Americanist, BBC News, Hispanically Speaking News
Last year we briefly looked at Mexican documentary “Presunto Culpable” (“Presumed Guilty”). Today we revisit the film after it landed in a recent controversy.
The film focuses on Antonio Zuniga, a man accused of murder, and the efforts of his lawyers and supporters to free him. “Presunto” not only reveals what appears like a weak case against Zuniga but also shows numerous shortcomings of the Mexican judicial system.
In the two weeks “Presunto” was shown in Mexico it became a box-office hit and the country's highest-grossing documentary. But last week a judge issued an injunction against screening “Presunto” after one of the movie’s figures, a key prosecution witness, claimed that he did not give permission to appear in the film. As written in Global Voices, the decision led to anger among some bloggers including concerns over freedom of expression as well as conspiracy theories claiming “the judicial system does not want the film to bring to light all the irregularities in its administration.”
The clamor over “Presunto” being pulled from theaters grew over the past several days culminating in a higher court ruling yesterday to bring the movie back:
The three-judge tribunal unanimously voted against the decision to pull the film saying that, despite the potential negative attention to the plaintiff, to force the film out of theaters "caused damage to the interests of society and contravened the regulations of public order, given that society has an interest in seeing respected the right to information enshrined in the sixth article of the Federal Constitution."
If you are in the U.S. you can view “Presunto Culpable” in its entirety for free via this PBS website until March 31st. Otherwise, the following is the trailer for the documentary that has caused quite a stir in Mexico:
Online Sources- The Latin Americanist, The Hollywood Reporter, Huffington Post, Global Voices, Variety Video Source – PBS via YouTube
If you're in the New York City area and looking for something to do tonight then please check out the closing film of the Human Rights Watch International Film Festival at Lincoln Center. “Presunto Culpable” (Presumed Guilty) examines the deep problems with the Mexican justice system via a man allegedly wrongly accused of murder. The documentary took three years to film and follows Tono Zuniga who, along with his two attorneys, attempt to overturn what they viewed as a miscarriage of justice.
Please click here if you're interested in attending tonight's screening of "Presunto Culpable" (7:00 pm at Lincoln Center's Walter Reade Theater). The film will also be featured on PBS this Sunday as part of the POV film series.
This year’s edition of the South by Southwest Festival (SXSW) was held earlier this month and featured numerous talks, films, and musicians. We’ll look at one of the musical acts later this week. Today we’ll feature one of the documentaries that were presented at SXSW.
“Presunto Culpable” (Presumed Guilty) provides a unique look at the Mexican judicial system from the perspectives of two lawyers representing their accused murderer Tono Zuniga. The film is also “a searing indictment of a system where the Police do not have to investigate because the system presumes guilt” according to SXSW’s website.
“Presunto Culpable” received honors at the Guadalajara Film Festival and a deal may soon be worked out to feature it in foreign countries. For the time being please check out the trailer to this very interesting film: Online Sources- Televisa, SXSW, YouTube
* Latin America: The Inter-American Development Bank concluded that remittances to Latin American and the Caribbean are expected to increase this year though a weaker dollar and rising inflation could affect its “purchasing power” in some countries.