Filming in Mexico hasn’t even begun and Mel Gibson is already facing controversy over his latest project which is to be filmed in a Veracruz prison. According to the BBC, hundreds of demonstrators stood outside the Ignacio Allende Prison to protest moving their incarcerated family members to another jail for the sake of Gibson’s production.
Gibson, who donated one million dollars to the Gulf of Mexico region in 2005 after it was hit by Hurricane Stan, plans to have the prison cleared to shoot his second Veracruz- based movie (‘Apocalypto,’ was filmed there in 2006).
Earlier this month, state governor, Fidel Herrera Beltran, announced, “My friend Mel is coming to work for many months here in Veracruz.” Beltran told reporters that prisoners would be transferred from Ignacio Allende to other state facilities in order to set the stage for filming in January. The governor had also said that construction of a new local prison would finish before film production started.
Protestors have recently demonstrated displeasure with the plan. According to the BBC, one family member held up a banner that read, “No transfers to make a movie,” while another sign read, “Mel Gibson, it is your fault that they are going to be transferred.”
Relatives lost faith in the plan when they spotted soldiers taking photographs and videos of the prison leading them to believe transfers would happen before the end of the month, even though a new local prison still has not been built. According to Contact Music, families of the inmates fear their loved ones will be sent to facilities across the country. The transfer would make visits both expensive and difficult.
But Gerardo Duran, the director of Ignacio Allende, said reports that transfers were to begin imminently are false.
One protester told TV Azteca, “We have been here all night, supporting our relatives. While we are here we won’t let anyone take them away.”
The BBC says Duran assured family members that they would be informed when inmates were about to be moved, which prompted protestors to end their demonstration. Duran confirmed that part of the prison would be cleared for filming.
(Photo by PR Photos)
Story provided by the Dish Information Corporation