RECLAMAR A CINÉPOLIS (VA DE NUEVO)

(NOTA: Va de nuevo este mensaje que fue publicado el sábado pasado y ayer domingo, pero que creo que es importante repetir una vez más para los que no tuvieron acceso a internet durante el fin de semana. Por lo tanto permanecerá arriba hasta las 10 de la maña--hora de Baja California. Ah, y la carta a IMAX tiene un UPDATE así que todos a enviarla de nuevo.)

Desde antier nos han estado reportando que el trailer de FRAUDE: México 2006 se está proyectando bien y en películas "grandes" en Cinemark y Cinemex, PERO en Cinépolis se le está dando un trato MÍNIMO al trailer, poniéndolo solamente en películas mexicanas que ya tienen un rato en cartelera (no en estrenos) como Hasta el Viento Tiene Miedo. Cinépolis, de acuerdo con estos reportes, NO ha proyectado el trailer de FRAUDE en películas como 1408 o El Reino.

Esto SUGIERE que Cinépolis está haciendo un esfuerzo MÍNIMO por poner el trailer para taparle el ojo al macho y que PAREZCA que están de verdad teniendo la voluntad de promover la película, cuando en realidad parecería que de lo que se trata es de salir al paso pero sin darle al documental el trato de película grande (e importante) que SÍ es.

¿Por qué es una película grande? Por la cantidad de copias con las que va a salir. Las películas gringas salen con un promedio de 150 copias. FRAUDE va a salir con arriba de 200 copias. Y dado el contenido de la película, y la controversia que ha causado, NO se le puede considerar de ninguna manera como una película pequeña o de poca importancia.

Por lo tanto, me parece que es importante hacer dos cosas:

1. Ir directamente a los Cinépolis, preguntar EN LA TAQUILLA o con los gerentes en qué películas se está proyectando el trailer (lo más probable es que les vayan a decir que solamente con películas mexicanas).

Acto seguido, pregunten a manera de RECLAMO por qué no se está proyectando el trailer con los estrenos de esta semana. Pregunten al gerente o encargado del cine QUIÉN dio la orden de que sólo se proyectara la película de manera mínima y háganle saber al gerente directamente (con firmeza, pero con CORTESÍA, y SIN INSULTOS NI AMENAZAS) que la ausencia del trailer en películas de estreno DA PIE a que se MALINTERPRETE el hecho y se CREA que se trata de CENSURA.

Finalicen diciendo que no les queda más remedio más que quejarse no con los dueños de Cinépolis, sino con IMAX, en Canadá, ya que Cinépolis había declarado estar en la mejor disposición de proyectar la película PERO la falta de trailers en películas de estreno SUGIERE que no es el caso. Y que esperan que IMAX entienda que el público no va a querer ir a ver películas en sus pantallas si están en cines donde APARENTEMENTE no hay una disposición para que la gente pueda ver películas que le resultan incómodas al gobierno.

2. Todos a escribir a IMAX nuevamente para reclamar por la falta de trailers en los Cinépolis. Las direcciones con las siguientes:

sarmstrong@imax.com
info@imax.com

Y envíen copia a Cinépolis, para que se den cuenta de que la cosa va en serio, a esta sdirecciones:

contacto@cinepolis.com.mx
mlopezg@cinepolis.com.mx

Copien y envíen entonces la siguiente carta para IMAX:

IMAX Corporation,

Almost 2 months ago I contacted you in regards to the reported refusal by Mexican theater chain Cinepolis to play in their screens the upcoming documentary that shows the electoral fraud in the Mexican presidential elections of 2006 (called FRAUDE: Mexico 2006). The reported refusal was supposedly the result of Cinepolis's owner, Alejandro Ramírez, to play in his theaters anything that questions Mexico's appointed president Felipe Calderon, supposedly because Calderon is a personal friend of Mr. Ramírez.

My issue with IMAX back then was that Cinepolis promotes IMAX screens as part of their business strategy, and I felt it was offensive for a Canadian company such as IMAX to be in business with a theater chain that apparently did not have much regard for artistic expression and freedom of speech. This, needless to say, is even more of a disappointment when we consider the fact that it was a Canadian distribution company the one that had the courage to distribute Michael Moore's documentary Fahrenheit 911, which dealt with similar issues of electoral illegitimacy in regards to the Bush administration.

Shortly after I wrote to IMAX it was announced by, both, IMAX and Cinepolis, that Cinepolis assured the public they would play the documentary on the electoral fraud in Mexico in their theaters, and that Cinepolis does not censor movies.

Sadly, the reality seems to indicate otherwise. This weekend the trailer for the documentary was scheduled to play in theaters nation-wide in Mexico. But Cinepolis, thus far, has made a very minimum effort to play the trailer, playing it virtually exclusively with small Mexican movies such as "Hasta el Viento Tiene Miedo", and not with new movies that will be seen by larger audiences. In short, it would seem as if the treatment Cinepolis is giving to FRAUDE: México 2006 is that of a small Mexican movie in order to minimize it and keep it from being seen by larger audiences--needless to say, this would have a negative effect on the movie, as fewer people would know about it.

The fact is, however, that FRAUDE: Mexico 2006 is NOT a small movie by any means. According to recent reports, it will be released with over 200 copies nation-wide in Mexico, about the same volume of copies as an american Hollywood movie or larger. And because of its content, the controversy around the movie, and the news media attention it has gotten, it is simply IMPOSSIBLE to regard this movie as a small, Mexican documentary. Plain and simple, it isn't.

It should also be interesting for you to know that many people thoughout Mexico have actually asked directly in movie theaters what movies are playing the trailer for FRAUDE just so they can buy a ticket and see the trailer. AND many others have complained to theater managers when the trailer is not playing or when the poster for the movie is not on display. That big is the interest the movie is generating to the mexican audience.

And yet, Cinepolis has not given the trailer anything beyond a bare minimal treatment, confining it to few screens with small movies that do not have much audience. I ask myself, is this an attempt at trying to appear as if Cinepolis was willing to play the trailer but in reality keeping it as quiet as possible so its exposure to the public is the LEAST possible?

I also ask myself: is this the same treatment they will give to the actual feature film? Is that the alleged denial of censorship claimed by Cinepolis?

Once again, given the fact that IMAX does business with Cinepolis, distributing many of their screens in Mexico in this movie theater chain, I ask you: is this what IMAX stands for? Is this what IMAX wants the world to think? That they support a movie theater chain that gives a minimum treatment to a film that obviously is causing disconfort to a political regime in Mexico that to this day is questioned in its legitimacy by millions of Mexicans?

It would be sad if that was the case. Because, as I expressed in a previous letter, if that were the case, I would certainly stop going to IMAX screens. Why should I want, as a consumer, to spend my money at IMAX screens if the theater chain in partnership with IMAX seems to act in a way that leads to think that they are hiding instead of promoting a documentary that obviously is causing disconfort to an illegitimate political regime?

Am I to believe IMAX agrees with this? Please let me know so I can decide if I will go to an IMAX screen ever again. Otherwise, I do not plan on doing it anymore.

Sincerily,
(FIRMA)


PS:
Cinepolis is listing the documentary in his website as a coming attraction, but instead of listing it for the actual release date of November 15, they list it for November 16 EVEN THOUGH they poster image they use in the website says clearly it will be in theaters on November 15. I would like to think this is a simple mistake and not a deliberate attempt at confusing the audience so the box office returns for the movie's first weekend are lower and hence a justification for not keeping it on screens. Is it? Once again, until this issue is cleared, I simply have no intention of going to IMAX screens at Cinepolis.

PS2:
It has been reported that some Cinepolis theaters have claimed they are under orders from their central headquarters either not to show the trailer for FRAUDE: Mexico 2006, or to show it with movies that have very little audience after being played for a month. Is this supposed be the way your business partners respect freedom of speech?

Envíen sus e-mails YA. Envíenlos de nuevo el domingo, y de vuelta el lunes. Que se den cuenta en Cinépolis que como consumidores tenemos derecho a ver esta película, y tenemos derecho a quejarnos si lo que se está haciendo impide que la película tenga una buena difusión que, a su vez, impida que sea vista por el público así sea por omisión.


Una razón más para apoyar al peje en el 2007.