Coming to DVD tomorrow, Tuesday, March 4: REPORTERO
Bernardo Ruiz’s indepth look at intrepid investigative journalism in Mexico made its debut at Ambulante in 2012. It went on to screen at Full Frame, IDFA, Los Angeles, Human Rights Watch, and the United Nations Association fests, among others.
Against a backdrop of narco-trafficking fueled violence, Mexico has seen a coordinated silencing of the press via intimidation and even assassination. Despite the danger, journalists like Sergio Haro remain committed to exposing the truth beyond organized crime and the corrupt politicians they have bought. Ruiz follows Haro in his investigations, even as the riveting film tells the larger history of the publication he writes for, Zeta, a Tijuana-based weekly that is published across the border to escape potential censorship, and which has seen its unfortunate share of tragedy. The work that Haro and Zeta as a whole risk their safety doing serves as a powerful example of the necessity of a free press to expose and prevent horrific abuses of power.
what (not) to doc 