MACHETERO/Freedom Album

Machetero/In the End

Thursday, Oct 29, 2009 8:10 PM EDT
at City Cinemas Village East
in New York, NY

Greetings All,

MACHETERO is back in NYC after the Irish premiere and award last month. It will be
playing as a part of the New York International Independent Film And Video Festival
Thursday, October 29th @ 8PM.

i just received word that if we sell out the MACHETERO screening on Thurs. Oct. 29th
@ 8PM we will get a 2nd screening. However we need to sell out the theater by this
Fri. Oct. 9th. The theater seats 150 people... Can we do it?

Let's try! Buy your tickets now to this 1st screening and let's gets a 2nd screening
of MACHETERO scheduled! Let's show and prove NYC that self-financed, independent,
artistic, politically minded films about the de-colonization of a Latin American
nation has an audience in NYC...

If 75 people could step up and bring someone else with them to the screening... (who
likes going to the movies alone?) we could make this goal of selling out this
screening (150 seats) of MACHETERO before Friday the 9th.

The image above is linked to the website that is selling tickets... click on it to
take you to the page... or

BUY TICKETS HERE

Much thanx for all of your support in the past and for the support of the present
and for the support i know i will receive from all of you in the future...

All the best,
vagabond

MACHETERO
In the tradition of Gillo Pontecorvo¡¯s Battle Of Algiers, Melvin Van Peebles Sweet
Sweetback¡¯s Badasssss Song and Sam Greenlee¡¯s The Spook Who Sat By The Door,
Vagabond¡¯s MACHETERO is a meditation on violence as a means toward liberation. Post
9/11 definitions, ideas and notions of terrorism are challenged in this highly
controversial and experimental film. Machetero is an allegorical narrative that
follows French journalist Jean Dumont, played by Isaach de Bankol¨¦ (The Keeper,
Ghost Dog, Manderlay, Casino Royale, The Limits Of Control), to a New York prison
where he interviews Pedro Taino, a so-called "Puerto Rican Terrorist" played by
Not4Prophet (lead singer of the Puerto Punk band RICANSTRUCTION). Pedro is a
self-described Machetero fighting to free Puerto Rico from the yoke of United States
colonialism. He is obsessed with freedom, freedom for his country, his people and
for himself. Jean questions Pedro about his decisions to use violence as a means to
achieve that
 freedom. Jean utilizes a global perspective in questioning Pedro, referencing
examples of achieving his goals through more peaceful means.  However Jean soon
finds that Pedro is well versed in liberation struggles from around the world and
their debate over the use of violence as a catalyst for change escalates.

As Jean and Pedro speak, another story unfolds. A ghetto youth played by Kelvin
Fernandez (in his first starring role) grows up in the streets doing what he has to
do to survive. The ghetto youth crosses paths with Pedro who sees the potential in
him. Pedro tries to provide the means for him to grow into the next generation of
Machetero by giving him a pamphlet he wrote called the Anti-Manifesto. The ghetto
youth reads the Anti-Manifesto and it reawakens a revolutionary spirit instilled in
him from childhood by a mentor in Puerto Rico (played by former Puerto Rican
Prisoner of War Dylcia Pagan, who served 20 years in US prisons). The ghetto youth
develops into a young rebel driven by the cause to liberate his people. As Jean and
Pedro¡¯s debate rages on, the cycle of violence that begins in the exploitation and
subjugation of imperialism becomes complete in the life of another ghetto youth
turned revolutionary.

The structure of Machetero is built around songs from ¡°Liberation Day¡±, a concept
album centered on the liberation struggle of Puerto Rico, written and preformed by
RICANSTRUCTION. The songs in the film took on the quality of a narrative voice
becoming a modern day Greek chorus. RICANSTRUCTION also provides a completely
improvised original score that moves from hardcore be-bop punk to layered haunting
and abstract Afro-Rican rhythms.

Machetero is about terrorism and terrorists, how they are defined and by whom. It is
a film that asks us to challenge the way in which we view the events that play out
in the world. It is a film about the cyclical nature of violence that is perpetuated
by those who choose to oppress and those who no longer wish to be oppressed.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________


The Puerto Rican Freedom Album is up online for album downloads and physical dual CD
purchases.

The Freedom Album is a musical CD/compilation dedicated to the welfare of the Puerto
Rican political prisoners and their families. The album features over 30 artists
from Puerto Rico to the states, and is available for purchase at the website at
www.prfreedomproject.org and the myspace at
www.myspace.com/freeourpoliticalprisoners

Artists appearing on the album:
The Welfare Poets with Alkebulan (Hip Hop - NYC), Roy Brown (Folk ¨C Puerto Rico),
Siete Nueve (Hip Hop ¨C Puerto Rico), Aurora y Zon Del Barrio with Yomo Toro y Sammy
Ayala (Bomba, Plena and Salsa - NYC), Division X (Hip Hop - NYC), Intifada (Hip Hop
¨C Puerto Rico), Ilu Aye (Orisha/Afro-Caribbean tradition -NYC), X-Vandals (Hip Hop
- NYC), Rebel Diaz with Divino of The D.E.Y. (Hip Hop Chicago/NYC), Alma Moyo (Bomba
y Plena ¨C NYC), Ricanstruction (Hardcore/Punk/Hip Hop - NYC), Quique Cruz (Hip Hop
- California), Foundation Movement (Boston ¨C Hip Hop), Lourdez Perez (Decima ¨C
Puerto Rico), Homeboy Sandman (Hip Hop ¨C NYC), Babalu Machete (Hip Hop ¨C Puerto
Rico), Segunda Quimbamba (Bomba ¨C NJ), El David (Hip Hop - NJ), Dr. Loco (Hip Hop
NYC), Fernando Ferrer (Salsa/Acoustic), Maria-Isa (Hip Hop -Minnesota/Twin Cities),
Velcro y Ikol Santiago (Hip Hop ¨C Puerto Rico), Ray Concepcion y Cafe Con Leche
(Salsa ¨C the Bronx), M-Team (Hip Hop ¨C Pittsburgh/ Brooklyn), Bryan Varg
as Y Ya Esta (Latin, Nu-Jazz and Afro-beat ¨C NYC), La Bruja (Hip Hop/Reggaeton
NYC), MC Natra Y Lady M (Hip Hop ¨C Vieques), Carlos Jimenez (Latin Jazz ¨C NYC),
F.A.L.L.E.N. A.N.G.E.L.Z. (Hip Hop ¨C NY and Florida), Nino Blanco (Hip Hop ¨C NYC)
and Angel Rodriguez (Guaguanco - NYC).

You can also link directly to the album below.

MP3 full album download
http://www.payloadz.com/go?id=1138270

Actual Dual CD (Within the United States and Puerto Rico)
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=8572170

Actual Dual CD (International)
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=8572360



The Puerto Rican Freedom Project is a coalition of artists, activists and
organizations that have come together to put out this project.