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© 2002 RLP Ventures, LLC
Randy
Vasquez
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The
Evidence of Things Screened
Testimony: The Maria Guardado Story, 2002, 63 minutes, Not Rated
By Ramona Prioleau
If
a force attempts to silence political dissent with mayhem and terror
and no one is there to record it, does it go undocumented? Not if
you're Randy Vasquez. If you're Vasquez, you give voice to that
political dissent and you provide a forum for a survivor to testify
and tell her tragic story of kidnap and torture at the hands of
Salvadoran death squads.
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Vasquez, who has been an actor for about
22 years, decided to expand his career to include film production and
directing during a slow period. A fan of documentaries and possessing
a social consciousness impulse, Vasquez first produced a short film
about the Zapatistas' indigenous rights movement in Chiapas, Mexico.
After meeting Maria Guardado, Vasquez had found the subject of his
next film. Vasquez borrowed cameras and equipment, invested
his own savings and devoted many hours during a 4 ½ year period to
shooting 27 hours of footage.
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Testimony: The Maria Guardado Story
is the fruit of Vaszquez's efforts to set the record straight. At
times revealing heart wrenching memories, Testimony captures
Maria Guardado's return to El Salvador to take part in the march
honoring Archbishop Oscar Romero, the nation's fallen hero. Although
this 63-minute film bears witness to the experiences of one woman,
Guardado speaks out for torture victims worldwide. Her story
illustrates that human rights violations will not go unchallenged and
her willingness to share her experience is an attempt to prevent
similar abuses in the future.
Testimony has made several stops along the
film festival circuit, starting with the Havana Film Festival and was
recently screened at the NYILFF
where it walked away with the festival award for Best Documentary.
With the success has come some disappointment. Some festivals that
fear the political tone of the work have rejected Testimony.
But in a 500-channel universe, shortsightedness and trepidation can't
stop powerful content. Those with the Dish Network, can see Testimony
when it airs on Free Speech TV.
However, Vasquez isn't resting on his laurels. He's
currently developing a documentary on the journey from South Korea to
the United States, explaining that he has always been intrigued by the
theme of immigration and the different reasons for immigrating to the
US. His mind constantly working, Vasquez also has ideas for a few
narrative films. For now, Vasquez is back to acting where he
can be seen on CBS' JAG as Sgt. Victor Galindez. For more on
Randy Vasquez, click
here. M
September 2002
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