Outside of Prison

Thanks a lot to all the people who made it possible!In only three weeks we reached our goal! On September the 7th we will set off for Mexico to start filming with Alejandro and Rocio.

But you can keep contributing. As you know, this is a long term project that will last 4 years and it needs more funding to be carried out. So we are going to set a second goal.

With this new goal we will be able to cover the expenses for the plane tickets for our second trip to México planned in April 2016.

Two years ago, Rocío’s mom was arrested under false charges. That day, the police not only took Rocío’s mom, they also took away Rocío’s chances to go to school, to play, to be a kid. Now, Rocío and her brother, Alejandro, 18, will have to act as mother and father to their two younger siblings for at least the next 4 years. This long-tem struggle, which will be told through the intimate lens of their everyday lives and which will end when their mother gets out of prison, will be a test of the strength of the siblings’ bond and to their willingness to remain together.

“Outside of prison” is a documentary about growing up all of a sudden. Alejandro and Rocío have made many adjustments in their lives. They leave Honduras for Mexico and in so doing become illegal immigrants in a new country, their father abandons them…but at that point they always had their mother with them. Once she goes to prison they have to take responsibility for themselves, find ways to support themselves and fight the injustices in their local environment.

“Outside of Prison” is a long term documentary. We want the film to track the development of the siblings during the remaining four years of the mother´s imprisonment. She was originally sentenced to ten years of which she will likely serve between 5 and 6. Our proposal is to accompany this high spirited and humorous family as they try to survive in these challenging circumstances.

This concept will give us the opportunity to assess and contextualise the following questions:
• What are the intimate, direct and long term consequences of a corrupt political system?
• How can love and cooperative relationships survive in families faced with major challenges?
• What can two teenager siblings with almost no resources take on the role of mother and father?

Your collaboration on this project makes you part of the story of this documentary. Thanks to you other people will be given the opportunity to relate to this family and think about how we confront challenges, look forward, fight, give up and wait…

You co-participation in this initiative makes it possible to highlight the reality of thousands of innocent women and men who are held in Mexican prisons for years simply because they don’t have the resources to prove themselves innocent.

Our goal is to finance a long term documentary. We want to obtain funding as the project progresses. In order to do this we have spoken to production companies, distribution companies, film funds and other organizations. These are slow processes though and in the majority of cases we are caught in a catch 22 situation where we need to develop more of the project to get funding but we need funding to develop the project. Your support can allow us to move forward.

The money will go to cover the expenses to our second trip to Mexico:

1.800 € → 2 return tickets for the Director and the Director of Photography (Barcelona – Mexico + internal flights)

300 € → Accommodation

390 € → Sound recordist

520 € → Daily expenses

600 € → Technical equipment and public liability insurance

190 € → Funding campaign

To make a documentary in this way is going to be an adventure. We don´t know exactly what is going to happen. Our capacity to adapt to a changeable subject matter will be what allows us to turn a sorrowful tale into a film.

We propose a challenge. Be patient.

Our offer is to make a film that follows the story of the mother´s internment. This is why we ask you to be patient, to accompany us in real time while Rocío and Alejandro wait for their mother to get out of jail.

My name is Pau Ortiz. I am a filmmaker. One year ago I was in Chiapas (México) collaborating with a Foundation that works with women in and outside of jail. There, I met Rocío and Alejandro’s mother whose positivism and strength surprised me.

Then I met her four children and I had the same feeling, but even stronger this time. México is a place full of conflicts, narcotraffic, ethnic problems, immigration and a widening gap between social classes…just to survive is difficult, the family had a clarity, maturity and sense of humor that amazed me. Although their were differences between us from the outset I felt they communicated with me on equal terms, honestly and directly.

After my initial impression, we recorded some interviews and everyday scenes. Then I went back to Barcelona. The initial edit demonstrated that the story had to be told. It has to be told as a long term study with the finishing line alongside the mother´s release from prison.

Now, after the creation of a production company with María Nova López, one year after my trip to Mexico, we are looking for resources to return to Mexico and keep telling Rocío y Alejandro´s story.

We are a group of people who at the end of last year created “Intactes”, a production company that brings together film-makers and professionals working on humanitarian projects. It aims to raise awareness of the need to break down stereotypes of minorities who are at higher risk of social segregation and injustice. In order to achieve this, Intactes produces non-fiction audiovisual works.

The name of the organization, Intactes (Intact lives), refers to our respectful method of contact with our subjects. We hope these ¨co-directors¨ gain insight and perspective through their work with us.

In México the high level of corruption and presumption of guilt has created a dangerous situation for people with few resources exposed to the legal system. These people are continuously extorted and used as scapegoats by organized crime and the police. This is what happened to Rocío, Alejandro and Rocío’s mother.

Rocío had 2 children in Honduras (Alejandro and Rocío). But her economic situation and relationship with her partner was difficult so she decided to migrate to Mexico. Rocío went by herself to Palenque (Mexico) where she set up a small food business. She came back to Honduras a year later to get her kids and return with them to Palenque. She then re-married and had two more kids: Yamilet and David. Her second relationship involved abuse and ended in divorce..This incident led to the police coming into contact with the Ricco family and discovering its vulnerability.

The mother had a cantina in Palenque, a Mexican city known for its archeological ruins as well as for the many hotels and tourists who visit it every year. But the city is a dangerous place for immigrants, since “la Bestia” (“the Beast”) – a network of freight trains used by many Central-American immigrants to cross Mexico and reach the United States – runs through it. The Palenque route sees the highest number of kidnappings and extortion of immigrants at the hands of both the mob and the police forces in the area.

Rocío had daily contact with many of the immigrants who boarded the Beast at her cantina, as well as with the people who extorted and carried out crimes against them. The same policemen who helped her with her husband’s case asked Rocío to come to the station for a police line-up, to see if she knew some of the people they had arrested. When she went in, however, they arrested her on charges of ties to the mob. Alejandro went to the police station to figure out what was going on, the police offered to release his mom if she paid certain sum of money. The family didn’t have the money and they couldn’t ask anyone for it. They didn´t have the resources to hire lawyers and prove Rocío’s innocence.

Rocío Ricco was imprisoned in April 2013. She was tried a year later and sentenced to 10 years in prison for extortion and for having ties to a criminal organization.

Intactes Facebook
Intactes website

DIRECTOR - Pau Ortiz

Born in Barcelona in 1982, he studied media at EMAV (Barcelona) and cinema at ESCAC (Barcelona, 2004-08), where he majored in documentary direction. During his years at ESCAC, he directed more than 30 projects. Two years ago, he began to study psychology and conflict resolution. He’s been the recipient of two scholarships and was chosen to participate in an exchange program with the Film School of Montreal (Canada).

He has written and directed “Trazadores” (documentary, 2009. 52’), "Time Out" (documentary, 2009, 16 '), “Tu mateix” (series, 2010 7 episodes) which was showcased at "INPUT 2011", the international conference for new media with great success and aired in countries such as Brazil, China, Australia and France), and “13 maneras de quedarse solo” (feature, 2010. 82’) which competed in the uncompromising European cinema selection at the “ARS Independent Festival” in Poland, and won a bronze medal at the Worldfest Houston, in the independent theatrical feature films section.

He’s also worked for the “Quepo Foundation" (2010-2013), directing shortfilms, series, several TV commercial campaigns and informative videos to promote social organizations.

Thanks

Thanks to the people that have already helped us to get here: Esther Oliver, Aurora Sulli, Sarah Bonavia, Carlo Masarelli, Julia Lea, Quetzalli Sotelo, Joana Conill, Casa Cereza y Promedios, Carol Nourse, Clara Viola, Jaz Allen-Sutton, Marita Papadaki, Jorge Estébanez