the filmmaker Gregory Rocha died on May 12 after suffering an accident on the road, the director was working as a food delivery person by app and collided with a car in the south of Mexico City, according to local media.
Rocha’s colleagues assured that the accident would have evidenced the economic situation that artists live and, in turn, the insecurity and the risk that join a delivery service platform.
“It’s worth working as a delivery man. It is undignified to die as a motorcycle delivery man against a car. It is more undignified to be 65, to be a great Mexican filmmaker and to die as a motorcycle delivery man because the public policies of @cultura_mx they give us unemployment and “deactivate” us, said filmmaker José Antonio Cordero.
“Gregorio Rocha died. With him goes a vital defense of the film archive, and the rigorous conservation of audiovisual memory. He died delivering food for an app; honest work, but precarious to the point of indignity, ”Sergio Huidobro, film critic and workshop facilitator, lamented this Friday on his Twitter account.
According to the directory of Mexican directors of the Morelia International Film Festival (FICM), Gregorio Rocha studied a degree in Cinematography at the University Center for Cinematographic Studies (CUEC-UNAM). Among other scholarships and support, she obtained the Fulbright / COMEXUS support in 2001, and the support of the Fund for Quality Cinematography (FOPROCINE) of the Mexican Institute of Cinematography (IMCINE) in 2012 for the co-production of his documentary feature film walls (2014).
The filmmaker who died at the age of 65, was part of the National System of Art Creators (SNCA) of the National Fund for Culture and the Arts (FONCA), from 2011 to 2014.
On the other hand, it is known that for more than 10 years he enriched his collection of multiple devices and cinematographic films from different periods and formats, from a magic lantern from 1872 to a Bell and Howell 16mm projector from 1989.
With this collection, Gregorio intended to activate a museum specializing in small film formats and a space for experimentation with the projected image to establish connections between analog and digital. His work toured three editions of the Morelia International Film Festival (FICM).
“The Morelia International Film Festival (FICM) deeply regrets the irreparable loss of the extraordinary Mexican filmmaker Gregorio Rocha,” the organizers of said event also wrote on Twitter.
Before the death, the Secretary of Culture of Mexico, Alejandra Frausto, expressed her sadness on Thursday for the death of Rocha, whom she described as a “man of cinema, dedicated to the production of cultural, historical and social documentaries”, however , many artists denounced her because they blamed her for the lack of support that would have led the filmmaker to find another job.
One of the filmmaker’s most recognized works is the documentary medium-length film “Los rollos de Pancho Villa”, from 2003, which received the audience award at the Morelia International Film Festival, as well as awards in Spain and the United States.
His documentary feature film “Acme & Company”, from 2006, received a screenplay award in Mexico and is shown on the online platform Filmin Latino, along with “Muros”, another documentary made in 2014.
This is why José Antonio Cordero, Mexican filmmaker and theater producer, also expressed on Twitter that it is unworthy “to be a great filmmaker” and “to die as a delivery man” because the policies of the Ministry of Culture keep creators “unemployed”.
According to the JLA agency, although it is the headquarters of important production companies and prestigious festivals, the Mexican film industry exhibits strong contrasts, between a lack of opportunities and resources for creators and the production of million-dollar productions that take advantage of the competitive costs of its market.
Meanwhile, food distributors in Mexico City are struggling to promote legislative proposals that recognize them as workers with full rights and protect them from risks such as accidents, kidnappings and even murders, according to information from the collective “Not one less distributor.”
KEEP READING:
Source-www.infobae.com