International
Despite ‘Pinocchio’ success, del Toro fears for Mexican cinema
| By AFP | Samir Tounsi |
Despite his international success, including a new adaptation of the classic puppet tale “Pinocchio,” Oscar-winning Mexican director Guillermo del Toro fears that his country’s cinema industry is facing “systematic destruction.”
Del Toro’s animated version of “Pinocchio,” in which an elderly woodcarver and his living puppet find themselves in 1930s fascist Italy, was the most watched film on streaming platform Netflix in the week of December 12-18.
Its debut on December 9 came a week before the release of “Bardo,” an autobiographical tale of a journalist-filmmaker returning home after years in Los Angeles, by fellow Mexican Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu.
Mexican actors have also enjoyed recent success in Hollywood, including Tenoch Huerta, the rising star of the sequel to “Black Panther,” the first major Black superhero movie.
Del Toro, Inarritu and Alfonso Cuaron represent a golden generation of Mexican filmmakers who have won the best director trophy at the Oscars five times since 2013.
Del Toro’s fantasy romance “The Shape of Water” earned best picture and best director at the 2018 Oscars.
The following year Cuaron scooped three golden statuettes for “Roma” — an intimate black-and-white movie about a family in turmoil in 1970s Mexico City.
‘Brutal’ destruction
But in stark contrast to the international acclaim for the trio, dubbed “The Three Amigos,” del Toro has now warned that the country’s film industry is facing “unprecedented” challenges.
“The systematic destruction of Mexican cinema and its institutions — which took decades to build — has been brutal,” he tweeted recently.
Del Toro highlighted an announcement by the Mexican Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences that next year’s Ariel Awards — the country’s equivalent of the Oscars — were postponed until further notice due to a “serious financial crisis.”
The organization said it regretted that “the support of public resources has decreased considerably in recent years.
“The state, which was the motor and support of the academy for a long time, has renounced its responsibility as the main promoter and disseminator of culture in general and of cinema in particular,” it added.
Del Toro even offered to pay for the Ariel statuettes out of his own pocket.
“He’s a generous colleague, an artist who is always aware of what is happening not only with Mexican cinematography but with the arts in general in the country,” said Academy president Leticia Huijara.
She would, however, prefer an agreement with the state.
In the meantime, the Ariels have been postponed, Huijara confirmed to AFP.
Promoting Indigenous film
Maria Novaro, the general manager of the Mexican Film Institute (Imcine), a government agency, thinks the warnings are exaggerated.
“Del Toro says that there is no more Mexican cinema in the year when there have never been so many productions,” she said, hailing a “record” 256 films in 2021.
“And 56 percent received support from public money. Imcine devotes 900 million pesos ($45 million) a year to financing Mexican cinema,” said Novaro.
“It’s good that Netflix produces a lot of content in Mexico. But it does not replace what Imcine does,” she added.
Mexican cinema enjoyed a golden age between the 1930s and 1950s, featuring movie stars such as Dolores del Rio and Pedro Armendariz.
But the industry went through a quiet period before enjoying a revival, helped in recent years by the success of “The Three Amigos.”
Mexican cinema has now become decentralized and diversified, according to Novaro, mirroring President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s priorities to help impoverished and Indigenous Mexicans.
Since 2019, there has been a program to encourage Indigenous and Afro-descendant cinema, with 56 such films in production, Novaro said.
“Films are starting to come out that tell about migration from the perspective of Indigenous migrants themselves,” she added.
International
Archbishop Wenski criticizes Trump’s deportation policies, calls for stronger push for reform
The Archbishop of Miami, Thomas Wenski, has called for increased pressure on the U.S. Congress to advance comprehensive immigration reform and criticized President Donald Trump’s mass deportation policies, arguing that they “do nothing to help.”
“We need to apply more pressure on Congress so lawmakers can make the necessary changes. It is also important for the Administration to listen to our voice. We do not want to be anyone’s enemy—we are Americans,” Wenski said in an interview with EFE.
The religious leader, who heads one of the dioceses with the largest Latino and Haitian populations in the United States, issued a call to defend the rights of migrants. He also emphasized that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has maintained a strong and public stance in favor of migrants for decades.
International
Trump relaunches diplomatic push to finalize U.S.-Backed peace plan for Ukraine War
U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that his diplomatic team will resume meetings with delegations from Russia and Ukraine in an effort to pressure both sides to accept the peace plan proposed by Washington to end the war in Ukraine.
As part of this new round of talks, U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Meanwhile, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll will hold discussions with Ukrainian representatives to narrow differences on the remaining points of the agreement.
Trump also confirmed his intention to meet personally with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and with Putin, though he emphasized that such meetings will only take place “when the agreement is fully finalized or in its final stage.”
The president claimed that his administration has made “tremendous progress” toward resolving the conflict and reiterated that the war “never would have started” if he had been in the White House at the onset of the crisis.
The U.S.-backed peace plan consists of 28 points and has been revised following feedback from both sides. According to Trump, only “a few points of disagreement” remain under active discussion.
One of the most controversial aspects of the proposal is the suggestion that Ukraine cede parts of the Donbas region to Russia and limit the size of its armed forces. Kyiv is working closely with Washington to soften these clauses in search of an arrangement that does not compromise its sovereignty or security.
With this diplomatic push, Trump aims to solidify his role as the main mediator in the conflict and steer the war toward a political resolution after years of devastation, humanitarian crisis, and rising global geopolitical tensions.
International
Man pleads not guilty in Liverpool parade incident that injured more than 130
Paul Doyle, who has been held in provisional detention since the incident, is accused of intentionally injuring 12 people, attempting to injure another 17, and committing acts of violence and dangerous driving.
According to prosecutors, eight of the victims were minors at the time, including a six-month-old baby.
Wearing a black suit, the 54-year-old defendant broke into tears as the jury entered Liverpool Crown Court, in northwest England. Doyle, a father of three and former member of the Royal Navy, had pleaded not guilty in September to the 31 charges against him.
On Tuesday, he reaffirmed his not-guilty plea when asked to respond again to four of the charges, which had been slightly amended. The jury was sworn in the same day, and the trial—expected to last three to four weeks—will begin on Wednesday.
The incident occurred on May 26, when thousands of Liverpool FC supporters were gathered for a parade celebrating the club’s Premier League victory. According to the investigation, Doyle’s car entered a street that had just been reopened to allow an ambulance through.
His vehicle was then surrounded by a crowd of Liverpool supporters, some of whom acted aggressively. Doyle first reversed, then accelerated forward, swerving and striking people on both sides of the street. According to an initial report from Merseyside Police, 134 people were injured.
Firefighters reported that one man was thrown onto the hood of the vehicle and four people, including a child, were trapped underneath the car.
Doyle was arrested at the scene. Police quickly ruled out any terrorist motive, stating instead that it was an isolated incident.
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