Another View of Chavez's Venezuela

A Jackson, CA man has helped create a documentary about alternative media that presents a different view of Venezuela under controversial leader Hugo Chavez than the one many have seen.

Sean Kriletich, who was raised in Calaveras County, farms in Paloma, Mokelumne Hill and between Jackson and Pine Grove as part of a venture called Paloma Pollinators. He also has traveled extensively in Venezuela and throughout South America, returning to Venezuela in 2006 with Greg Miller of UnEarth Productions to document what he discovered there previously.

"I noticed a stark difference between what I saw on the ground and what was being reported in the mainstream media in the United States and also in Venezuela," Kriletich said.

Making three visits in the course of a year, the pair produced a DVD running just under a half-hour examining community television and radio stations in the country. It is called "La Revolucion Comunicativa" and won Best New Documentary at the Punky Li'l Kid Film Festival in February in Monterey and also screened at independent film events in San Francisco, Portland, Ore., Jackson Hole, Wyo., Washington, D.C. and Salt Lake City.

"Organized groups can start their own television or radio station, which is something you can't do easily here," Kriletich said of the film's revelations.

He said after a 2002 coup attempt, in which the short-lived government of Pedro Carmona immediately sought to shut down community stations, the restored Chavez government allowed the grassroots broadcasters to flourish, with licenses granted without regard for religious or political affiliations.

"Many want to stay autonomous so they don't accept government money. Some that accept government money criticize the government," Kriletich said. "They're not only allowing pro-Chavez media. There's no way the government could reel in the media at this point. It's so prolific. It would be hard to do."

He added that a town of 4,000 to 5,000 people in Venezuela usually has two or three community radio stations and sometimes a TV station.

"It's allowed people to express their voice in ways they never had before," Kriletich said.

Despite limited financial means, the filmmakers saw communities pitch in $5 to $100 a person to acquire a used radio transmitter and erect a makeshift broadcast tower.

"They want it so bad, they'll contribute it. It's all-volunteer," Kriletich said.

The documentary shows a scene where an Indian man criticizes Chavez's government for environmental damages caused by its oil drilling. Kriletich said other shows included praise for improved health care and education under his administration but largely, the community programming has been non-political with broadcasts of local sports and festivals, children's programming and showcases for local musicians.

Scenes from the Irish documentary "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" pepper the film, contrasting the community stations with mainstream TV coverage during the coup.

"The development of community media is an important step in democratizing media in Venezuela," co-filmmaker Greg Miller told OpEd News. "Even today, the majority of media people can hear and see are owned by a handful of people. In general, the privately-owned media is anti-President Chavez, so the idea that there is media censorship in Venezuela is absurd."

Kriletich hopes viewers of their documentary will walk away with a different view of the media in this country and what alternatives there are.

"There is the possibility of free and plural communication that's not biased by economic interest," he said. "Even in the worst economy we've had in years here, we can pull this together."

Contact Sean Janssen at sjanssen@uniondemocrat.com