February 2006
 Carlos
Efraín Pérez Rojas (Mixe) is a documentary
videomaker and a human rights advocate for indigenous communities
in Mexico. In 2005 he received the Reebok Human Rights Award,
which includes a substantial grant to enable his continuing this
work. He is currently documenting how indigenous organizations
are resisting hydro-electric projects in the state of Guerrero.
From 2003 - 2005 Pérez documented civil rights violations
in Guerrero, working with the Centro de Derechos Humanos de La
Montaña Tlachinollan. He is the former coordinator of projects
based in Guerrero for Promedios de Comunicación Comunitaria,
a bi-national organization that develops and distributes indigenous
media of southern Mexico. Reclaiming Justice: Guerrero's Indigenous
Community Police received the Human Rights Award at the 2004
Encuentro Hispanoamericano de Video Documental Independiente independent
documentary film festival and the Best Film Award at the 2003
Geografías Suaves film festival. Pérez was awarded
a National Video Resources' Media Arts Fellowship in 2002 and
was on the fellowship's Mexican nominating panel in 2003 and 2004.
He helped form Video Tamix, a community media center producing
and broadcasting television and radio in his hometown of Tamazulapam
in Oaxaca's Sierra Mixe. Pérez has also led video workshops
to indigenous communities in Chiapas and Guerrero.
"The work that I do about the social movements of indigenous
communities reflects national and local considerations. For example,
I speak of the problems that exist, but I always give a constructive
message of hope, because the idea is that video is able to awaken
solidarity in the people who watch it. For me, provoking a reaction
is something that goes hand in hand with video. So for now, I
feel like a video activist."
Screened by NMAI
Image credit: Carlos Efraín
Peréz Rojas - courtesy of the filmmaker
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