11 · 03 · 05

Interview with José Manuel Cravioto

Por Clara Sánchez. Fotos Paulo Vidales / Imagen Latente (Jueves 3 de noviembre, 2005)

José Manuel Cravioto, director of “El charro misterioso”, Honorary Mention at the Short Film/Documentary competition.

By Clara Sánchez / Photos: Paulo Vidales /Imagen Latente )Thursday, November 3er. 2005)
Why did you choose this subject?
I have always been attracted to the gory crime section of the newspaper. One day, I came across a piece on Alfredo Ríos Galeana, a Mexican criminal who also happened to be a singer and engineer. I thought he was really charismatic. I made this film while studying at the CUEC.

How did you contact your sources??The journalist that had written the piece introduced me to a chief police officer, and that lead to some retired commanders who had dealt with the case. I also visited television networks to gather material.

Was it dangerous??There’s a hidden version of what really happened to Ríos Galeana, which I didn’t know at the time, but when I suddenly realized that he was in Mexico, I thought he might be upset if he found out about my work. I got really paranoid. If I saw someone dressed as a charro on the street I’d get really frightened, because I had to preserve my anonymity, nobody could find out I had been digging up all this information.

Does Ríos Galeana know about your project??When he was caught in July I was still working on my theses. People sent me thousands of messages saying he had been captured, but I thought it was a joke, that they had all agreed to trick me, I was sure they’d never catch him. I have all the newspapers from that time; it was all over the media.
I’d like him to see my film, now that he’s in jail. Unfortunately, he’s in the high security ward, so it’s not going to be easy, though I’m seeing the way of getting in. Sure, things need to cool down a bit, but I would love it if he saw my film, I’d like to know what he thinks of it, I’d like him to tell me the truth, if he can.

Would you like to hear his side of the story?
I’d like to know what’s real, to take his point of view into account and from there decide whether it’s a good idea to include him in the film or not. To begin with, I like the fact that I began to make this documentary before he was caught; it gives it a special flavor.

How did audiences in Morelia react?
The theaters where packed, and audiences seemed enthusiastic about the work. An eight-year-old boy really loved the film! People have shown a great deal of interest, they are curious about the material that was edited out.

What films did you see at the Festival?
Toro Negro and 1973, I really liked them, both films are going to premiere in commercial theaters soon.

Are you going to keep on reading the crime section??Maybe, I believe themes have a way of finding you when you make a documentary, so if I run into something I feel strongly about, I’ll do it.