Hugo Chavez and Oliver Stone walk red carpet at Venice Film Festival
Hugo Chavez received a film star's welcome at the Venice Film Festival on Monday, when the Venezuelan president walked the red carpet with Oliver Stone for the premiere of the documentary "South of the Border".
From Nick Pisa in Rome
Published: 8:22PM BST 07 Sep 2009
Mr Chavez, who was accompanied by 50 bodyguards, played to the crowd, throwing a flower, touching his heart and, at one point, taking a photographer's camera to snap a picture himself.
The Hollywood director's latest film charts Stone's trip to meet the Venezuelan leader and his bid to "understand whether he was really the 'anti-American force' we've all heard about" in US and European media.
After a dramatic landing at the Venice Lido on board a carabinieri helicopter, Mr Chavez, who eschewed the typical boat arrival as he suffers from sea sickness, posed on the red carpet along with the director, who he described as a "hard worker".
Mr Chavez praised Stone's work for depicting what he said were improvements made across Latin America.
"Rebirth is happening in Latin America, and Stone went to look for it and he found it," Mr Chavez said. "With his cameras and his genius, he's captured a good part of that rebirth."
Before Mr Chavez arrived in Venice from Turkmenistan, Stone defended him the controversial Latin American leader a press conference to launch the documentary film.
"Chavez was elected by popular vote in no fewer than 12 different elections. And Venezuela has seen a clear economic improvement with him," Stone said.
He added that "South of the Border" was an attempt to combat western views that many Latin American countries were not democratic.
The documentary, he said, was meant "to combat the level of stupidity of the press".
"If you look now, there are seven presidents, eight countries with Chile, that are really moving away from the Washington consensus control," Stone said. "But in America, they don't get that story."
Mr Chavez was first elected in 1998, is a leading critic of US foreign policy and globalisation and has sought to achieve economic independence for his country while boosting cooperation with those around it.
"South of the Border" is showing out of competition at the Venice Film Festival, which ends Saturday with the awarding of the Golden Lion.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Education for Liberation! Venceremos Unidos!
Peter S. Lopez ~aka ~Peta-de-Aztlan~
Sacramento, California, Aztlan
Yahoo Email: peter.lopez51@yahoo.com
Come Together! Join Up! Seize the Time!
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Humane-Rights-Agenda/
http://humane-rights-agenda.blogspot.com/
http://humane-rights-agenda-network.ning.com/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NetworkAztlan_News/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/THIRD-WORLD-NEWS/
c/s
No comments:
Post a Comment
Be for real! Love La Raza Cosmca! Venceremos!