LA RESPUESTA DE CINÉPOLIS ES UNA PLANTILLA

Varios lectores me han enviado copias de las cartas que recibieron de Cinépolis en respuesta a sus quejas por la censura reportada por Luis Mandoki y Federico Arreola. Al comparar las cartas me di cuenta de que a todo el mundo le están mandando la misma copia de exactamente la misma carta (que ya posteó Erich Moncada).

Las cartas de respuesta a protestas que son una mera copia siempre me han parecido una falta de respeto a la gente. Por lo cual les sugiero que le vuelvan a escribir a Cinépolis y que les reclamen esa falta de respeto. La dirección de e-mail de donde llegan estos e-mails es la siguiente:

Miriam Lopez Gorostieta
mlopezg@cinepolis.com.mx

Como siempre, NO usen groserías ni amenazas. La carta podría ser así:

Miriam,

Veo con disgusto que la respuesta de Cinépolis a las quejas de mucha gente por la censura que, según reportes, aplicó Alejandro Ramírez al afirmar que no exhibiría el documental de Luis Mandoki por que él, Alejandro Ramírez, es amigo personal de Felipe Calderón y no va a exhibir nada que lo cuestione, ha sido enviar una mera copia de la misma carta de respuesta a todo el mundo.

Si esa es la actitud de Cinépolis, y así de pequeño es el respeto que tienen para los clientes, le informo entonces que ahora MENOS volveré a ir a sus salas de cine.

Es una VERGÜENZA que en 2007, todavía se pretenda aplicar censura a quienes dicen la verdad, y que la respuesta ante las quejas por esta censura, sea una simple copia de un texto enviado de manera masiva. ¿ESE es el "cambio" del presidente ILEGÍTIMO al que, según reportes, Alejandro Ramírez defiende?


FIRMA

Por cierto: también tenemos los datos de contacto del director de Warner Brothers en Estados Unidos, Barry Meyer:

Mr. Barry Meyer
Chairman and CEO
Warner Bros. Entertainment
4000 Warner Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91522
818-954-6000
barry.meyer@warnerbros.com

Mr. Meyer,

Recently it was revealed in Mexico that Warner Brothers Mexico, under pressure from Televisa-Videocine, backed down from a verbal agreement through which Warner Brothers would distribute Mexican director Luis Mandoki's documentary on the electoral fraud of the 2006 presidental elections in Mexico.

Your representative in Mexico, Juan Manuel Borbolla, claims this is a business decision and not a political decision. But this is contradicted by the fact that Warner Bros. Mexico actually developed promotional materials for the film, offered an 200 thousand dollar advance for the film (claiming it may make 2 milllion dollars in Mexico), and by the fact that Mr. Borbolla told director Luis Mandoki and producer Federico Arreola that if Emilio Azcarraga and Bernardo Gomez, president and vicepresident of Mexican media quasi-monopoly Televisa, respectively, were removed from the film, Warner Brothers would distribute the film.

The Televisa connection, of course, comes from the fact that Warner Brothers Mexico distributes its movies through Videocine, which is owned by Televisa.

To make things worse, Mr. Borbolla claims that documentaries don't make money in Mexico. And that the only documentary that has made any money is Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11. This was reported in La Jornada newspaper from Mexico City:
http://www.jornada.unam.mx/2007/09/05/index.php?section=politica&article=012n1pol

Does Mr. Borbolla realize the type of contradiction he's falling into? Michael Moore's film on the Bush administration essentially suffered the same fate Luis Mandoki's film--which questions the electoral process of 2006 much like Moore questioning the legitimacy of George Bush's presidency--is suffering now: censorship from a distributor based on a political agenda. Because, as you may recall, Michael Moore accused Disney of backing down on the distribution for the film, forcing Mr. Moore to seek a canadian distributor.

Now, while I understand you may or may not care for such issues as freedom of speech, freedom of expression, or freedom in general, I also understand that you do care for business. Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 became a blockbuster, it is the biggest money-making documentary in history, and it earned Lion's Gate Films MILLIONS of dollars that Disney, through Miramax, simply threw away because of politically motivated censorship.

Think about it this way: since the movie is already made. All Warner Brothers has to do is make a few copies of the film and send it to a few hundreds of movie theaters, and promote it. Really, peanuts for a distributor such as WB. In return, WB will get MILLIONS of dollars. Keep in mind that Mr. Meyer.

Mandoki's earlier documentary on Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and the Mexican elections sold over 2 million copies. And that was through simple word of mouth and a home-made distribution on DVD--AND that's without taking into account the thousands, if not millions, of copies sold through piracy.

Again, while I understand you may or may not care about issues such as democracy and freedom of speech, I'm sure you do care for the bottom line. And the bottom line is you are allowing your distributor in Mexico to censor a film that can make you earn a lot of money. I wonder if Warner did the proper cost-benefit analysis in this case.

Because, quite frankly, if anyone should know that political media sells and it sells big, it is Warner. That's why you distributed Michael Moore's Roger and Me, and his book "Dude, where's my country?"

Please do not allow politically-based censorship to be the guiding principle in your business dealings in Mexico. The effect this is having on the Mexican consumer is simply this: WE, as consumers, will simply start rejecting and BOICOTING Warner Brothers's products. Over 15 million people want to see this documentary in theaters in Mexico. That's A LOT of lost revenue for Warner Brothers once people realize why Warner Bros. backed down from distributing Luis Mandoki's documentary. You should also include the cost of this boicot in reviewing your decision.

FIRMA

También mándenle copia al número 2 de Warner Brothers. Estos son sus datos:

Mr. Alan Horn
President and COO
Warner Bros. Entertainment
4000 Warner Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91522
818-954-6000
alan.horn@warnerbros.com

Como siempre, no usen groserías ni insultos ni amenazas.

Todos a mandar e-mails entonces.


Una razón más para apoyar al peje en el 2007.