La Tragedia de Macario

SYNOPSIS OF THE FILM
Macario, a local peasant in Sabinas Hidalgo, Mexico, struggles for a dignified life for he and his wife Regina. He often contemplates crossing the border to the United States, where he could find work and a better life. Along with his best friend, Felipe, he takes the brave step into an unknown world. The two along with 17 other immigrants entrust a Coyote (human trafficker) with their lives and money to cross them over to the so-called “American Dream” inside a train wagon. The Coyote neglects the lives of the immigrants trapped inside the train wagon where Macario and the rest struggle to stay alive. Before his agonizing death by asphyxiation, dehydration and heat exposure, Macario receives heavenly comfort and a message of hope from La Virgen Maria (Virgin Mary).

THE CREATION OF LA TRAGEDIA
The original idea of the movie was inspired by the events of real immigrant stories as they attempt to cross the U.S.-Mexico border.On the night of May 14, 2003, on a highway outside of Victoria, Texas, 19 people died of asphyxiation, dehydration and heat exposure inside of a locked, double-insulated trailer truck. Through interviews and personal research, Véliz transformed this tragedy into a film and tells the story of the struggle of the Mexican immigrant. The film was shot in Texas during the months of January and February of 2005. It was later premiered on April 2 in San Antonio to an audience of 800.

THE GOODBYE (scene 24)
Macario and Felipe say their final goodbyes as they set out on their journey. Knowing very well that they may never see them again, Regina and Lupita can only pray as they watch their husbands walk towards the "American Dream." In their journey Macario and Felipe encounter a Coyote. A Coyote is a human trafficker. Typically, a Coyote traffics illegal immigrants from Mexico, Central and South America into the United States for a hefty sum of money. Often, these Coyotes have little concern for human treatment as they transport their human cargo in the most dangerous and inhumane ways.

ROGELIO RAMOS (Macario)
Rogelio plays the starring role of Macario. Rogelio's previous work includes commercial work as well as film. He now lives in Hollywood, CA, where he continues his career as an actor. For the film, Rogelio experienced a brief real-life experience of what it is really like to be trapped inside a wagon. Filming the scene where the immigrants exasperate for their lives was the most difficult scene for the entire cast and crew. At this point, we got a quick and alleviated look at what it could have been like in real life. Most of the crew had to take a break and really reflect on what was happening and what really had happened that night, among many other nights when lives are lost in this manner.

MOVIE CREDITS
La Tragedia De Macario (2005)
New Title -
Title: La Tragedia De Macario
Type: film
Sub-Type: feature
Status: released
Year: 2005
Release Dates - September 1, 2006
Country: USA
Date: 2 April 2005
Attribute: (San Antonio, Texas)
Languages
Spanish
Color
Genres - Drama

Directors

Name: Veliz, Pablo
Budget/cassified
Official Sites
Url: http://www.cineveliz.com/
Desc: Official production company website.
Production Companies
Company: Cinematografica Veliz [us]


Cast

Name: Ramos, Rogelio
Character: Macario
Name: Figuero, Milicent
Character: Regina
Name: Rodriguez, Tina
Character: La Virgen de Guadalupe
Name: Agustin, Victor
Character: Felipe
Name: Castro, Juanita
Character: Lupita
Name: Tony Gandara
Character: Hurtado

Composers
Name: Sanchez, Carlos
Name: Veliz, Pablo

Cinematographers
Gonzalez, Brian

Editors
Pablo Veliz

Running Time: 84 minutes
Country: USA
Filming Locations
San Antonio, Texas, USA