Educational Media Reviews Online

This is an excellent video by Belgian filmmaker, Thierry Zéno, about the plight of the Indians of Mayan descent living in southeast Mexico, and the recent attempts by the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (widely known simply as the Zapatistas) to fight for their rights to land, education, healthcare, food, housing, justice, and human dignity. The Zapatista battle cry, "Ya basta", means "Enough". The word "faceless" in the subtitle refers to the masks worn by the Zapatistas, symbolizing the way they and the Chiapas Indians are treated by the government (as if they do not exist).

On January 1, 1994, coinciding with the implementation of the NAFTA treaty, Zapatistas and their supporters staged armed takeovers of several towns and villages in the southeastern state of Chiapas. Suddenly, Mexico and its treatment of indigenous people became international news.

The video is a very sympathetic portrayal of the Zapatistas. Several Chiapas Indians are interviewed about their terrible living conditions. Several Zapatista leaders, all of whom are very passionate and articulate about their cause, are interviewed. Additionally, several moving speeches by a number of Zapatista leaders are caught on videotape. A few scholars are interviewed. There are no interviews with Mexican federal government officials. The Zapatistas derisively refer to these officials as the leaders of neoliberalism. The interviews and speeches are in Spanish, with English subtitles. The translation from Spanish to English is excellent.

In addition to the 1994 takeovers, two other important events are covered in this video. In August 1995 the Zapatistas set into motion a national referendum with no intervention or assistance from the government or political parties. 1.3 million voters took part, 97% of whom voiced their approval of Zapatista demands. And in July 1996, the Zapatistas organized an "Intercontinental Encounter" against neoliberalism, an international event that drew 3,000 participants and several hundered journalists.

This is an emotional video -- short on statistics, long on passion. This reviewer was impressed with the overall production, especially considering that all the work was done in the field (jungle and mountainous terrain).

This program is recommended for adult audiences and is suitable for college and university media collections that support programs in Latin American Studies, Ethnic Studies, Political Science, and History.