Jill Freidberg
Director's Statement
"The question of how the media influence our lives should be on everyone's lips. How has the media shaped the war in Iraq? Does the media truly create a space for public debate? How many voices are really and truly heard in the commercial press.
"I had been active in independent media for over a decade when the uprising in Oaxaca began, in 2006. I had worked in community radio, both in the US and Mexico, and had been a founding member of the global independent media network, Indymedia.
"I returned to Oaxaca in July of 2006, thinking that I would do a bit of filming to add an epilogue to my previous documentary, "Granito de Arena", which chronicled the history of the teachers' movement in Oaxaca.
"The political climate in Mexico was already highly charged. Allegations of massive electoral fraud in the nation's recent presidential elections had everyone on edge, and in the streets. And many blamed the mainstream media for being the ones who had really stolen the election.
"Meanwhile, this uprising had exploded in Oaxaca. Hundreds of thousands of people were using non-violent, civil disobedience to demand the resignation of a corrupt and repressive governor. But the story that was playing out in the commercial press was that a handful of violent vandals were wreaking havoc in one of Mexico's most popular tourist destinations.
"And then ... 3,000 housewives took over the state-run television station, and opened it up to the participation of civil society. Suddenly, thousands of voices were countering the commercial press version of the uprising. Children, grandmothers, schoolteachers, farmers ... everyone had their opportunity in front of the camera.
"I knew then that a new film was in the works. And what I witnessed, and filmed, in the following months, was a phenomenon that would forever change the way Mexicans thought about the media. When the state government used paramilitaries to destroy the state-run television station, the movement took over 14 radio stations.
"For the first time in history, a social movement had more media outlets in its hands than the state, and it allowed them an unprecedented capacity for organizing, mobilizing, and defending themselves against some of the worst human rights abuses ever documented in Mexico.
"I chose to use audio and video recordings from the occupied media outlets as the primary narration for the film, adding additional voice over only where background context was needed. In the film, one hears and sees what the country was hearing and seeing throughout the six months of conflict.
"One hears the bullets flying as paramilitaries attack the occupied radio stations. One sees the women's first broadcast and feels the excitement and fear of doing something that had never been done before.
""The film is not only an account of these stunning events, but also my way of asking the important questions that need to be asked about the role of the media in our lives."
