Marcos Arriaga

Marcos Arriaga (born 1960 in Lima, Peru) is a Peruvian film-maker and photographer.

Overview

Marcos Arriaga learned to incorporate history and beauty into his films and photography. Arriaga’s visual career began when he graduated from the communications program at San Martin de Porras University in 1985. He became very interested in photojournalism during the political upheaval in Peru, and was determined to document and communicate these images to people on the outside. He developed a passion for observing people and putting himself in the middle of the action. Through this passion, he developed a sense of journalistic duty to communicate the images and ideas that he recorded on film. After immersing himself in the world of photojournalism for three years, Arriaga became interested in documentaries because of their communicative potential. Documentary film was an exciting new medium for presenting images and ideas. Over the course of his 10 year filmmaking career, Arriaga has directed, shot and edited almost a dozen films. In looking at the progression of his films, we are able to see the evolution of the filmmaker, as both an artist and a human being who lives actively in his community.

Arriaga’s work is hard to define as it blurs the boundaries between documentary and experimental filmmaking. His work is strongly influenced by his background in journalism, while at the same time Arriaga creates very personal films in reaction to cultural issues, as a way of dealing with the world. Arriaga’s liberal political views and his attraction to the gritty, grainy aesthetic serve as a common thread that link his various projects. For his more personal projects, Arriaga performs the role of director, cinematographer and editor all by himself. For his less personal films, Arriaga has been able to hand over his projects to various editors. Arriaga believes it is an important step of the process: "“It is healthy. Because it doesn’t matter what you think. It’s what other people see. That is important for you as a filmmaker and you as an artist and you as a communicator. You must let other people interpret your pieces.”"

Arriaga also enjoys collaborating on other artists’ projects. He has a long list of cinematography credits including "Deep Inside Clint Star" (1999), " [Goldirock] [http://www.goldirockrecords.com GoldiRock Records] " (Which is not associated, but is the intellectual property of Jeremy Barnhart. Copyright 2000-2008) (2003) and "Zero: The Inside Story" (2004). But first and foremost, Arriaga is a communicator: "“Some see filmmaking as a process of art—I see film as a process of communicating. You can do beautiful pieces with meaning. But meaning is more important then beauty.”" Fact|date=April 2008Arriaga’s films are not meant to be analyzed. His films are simple and unpretentious. His films are meant to be experienced. When asked which film is his favorite, Arriaga pauses. His films are a part of who he is. His films document his growth as an artist and a human being. When it comes to his labors of love, he does not pick favorites. "“I love all of them. And I hate all of them. I see them as part of my history, part of my experience.”"Fact|date=April 2008

Filmography

Watching (1994)

Along with most of his family, Arriaga immigrated to North America in the 1980’s, in search of a “better life.” During his visits back to Peru he came up with the idea for his first film "Watching", which documents the lifestyle of Latin Americans. It is a self-reflexive film, in which Arriaga explores the medium that he is discovering for the first time. He was interested in communicating cultural ideas. Much like in his days of journalism, Arriaga wanted to immerse the audience in the action, allowing us to simply watch the sequence of events rather than analyze them. The film begins with a loud shrieking “beep” and a simple blue line that holds the attention of the audience. The first images to appear are the eyes of people from different races, which are juxtaposed throughout the film with 16 mm black and white images of Peruvians, dancing, singing, and carrying out their daily activities. Some of the images of slaughtered animals and starving children are shocking, while others are a mundane account of everyday life. Arriaga draws on his experience in photography and employs methods such as freeze frames through optical printing to emphasize certain images and facial expressions. "“Sometimes I jump into a frame. Because I want you to watch. I want that frame to tell you something. Watch that face. Watch it.”"

El Barrio (The Neighbourhood, 1998)

After settling in Toronto, Canada, Arriaga attended Sheridan College’s Media Arts Film program and graduated with a diploma in 1995. During college, Arriaga was introduced to and inspired by the work of filmmakers such as Phillip Hoffman, Steve Sanguedolce, and Mike Hoolboom. Their films sparked an interest in the experimental and personal filmmaking process, which would dominate the rest of Arriaga’s films throughout his career. He became interested in colour, grain and texture and incorporated an awareness of these elements in his film "El Barrio". The film is a homage to the Toronto neighbourhood in which he lives. It is "“something to do with my neighbourhood. Something to do with Toronto. Where I live and where I love. My own little five square kilometres.”" Arriaga defines "El Barrio" as his most artistic piece. He initially wanted to make a formal documentary about Toronto’s multiculturalism but because of time and financial constraints it took the form of a visual poem. He collected images for over a year. Then he assembled them in a very loose piece in which "“everything is just crazy and moving and hectic.”"

The Harris Project (1998)

Political debate in Ontario triggered the making of Arriaga’s next film, "The Harris Project". The film was shot on Super 8 and 16 mm. It was produced by Arriaga and a small group of collaborators as a reaction to the issues that Ontarian workers were dealing with as a result of the Harris government. Arriaga was interested in the politics of his new city, and he decided to make this film in an attempt to deal with the political issues of the working class. "“I am very interested in community. I am very interested in what is happening around me. I am a very political person. I have seen so much misery in Peru…I define myself as someone who deals with these issues.”" Arriaga wanted political commitment. He wanted a proactive film that challenged the government. It was an ambitious project and the finished product is quite different from the original treatment. There was a lot of strong protest imagery, but not enough footage to create a cohesive documentary. The unexpected result is a film that deals with the process of making a political film. It is a collection of black and white images of Ontarian worker riots, accompanied by a voiceover recorded by his collaborator, Jeff Sterne. While the final product differs greatly from his initial intentions, Arriaga feels that the film reveals the mindset of the time. His overwhelming sense of journalistic duty motivated him to finish the film. "“Aside from the voiceover, I thought it was important from a graphic standpoint to show. Because that was the first time all the workers got together…as a journalist I have that responsibility. You have an obligation. You don’t know what is going to happen later.”"

Promised Land (2002)

For his next project, Arriaga decided to make a film about his family history. While "Promised Land" has a political voice, it is also his most personal film to date. Inspired by Hoffman ("What These Ashes Wanted", 2001), Promised Land took the longest to make of all his films. It deals with the recent history of Latin America, the history of the Arriaga family and the struggle his family members faced while immigrating to North America in search of a better standard of living. A significant portion of the film is constructed of still photographs and Arriaga’s own voiceover. By telling the story of his family struggles, he tells the story of Latin American history. Arriaga also experiments with the process of optical printing, and is fascinated by the grain and texture of different film stocks. He zooms in to reveal colour and grain, paying close attention to detail. Arriaga is attracted to the gritty, raw aesthetic of documentary footage. Arriaga shot a large portion of the film on a Super 8 camera, because it is small and non-intrusive, which allowed him to capture powerful and candid images for his film.

Maricones (Faggots, 2005)

Arriaga’s most recent and popular film deals with a subject matter that he stumbled upon while visiting Peru. Arriaga had reached a dry spell in his career, and was worried about being able to finance his next project. While working at odd low paying jobs, Arriaga received a grant from the Canada Arts Council. Upon receiving the money, Arriaga immediately flew home to Peru for a reunion with his family. During his visit, his parents heard that he was still single and expressed their concerns that he might be homosexual. Initially, Arriaga was bothered by his parents’ attitude. But the idea soon dawned on him to make a documentary about homosexuality in Latin America. Producing "Maricones" was a long process during which Arriaga kept “thinking and re-thing the underlying social issues”.Arriaga’s approach was to follow his subjects without a specific story in mind, but rather to allow the characters to shape the film. Through a series of interviews and candid filming, Arriaga documents the lives of two gay men in Peru. Arriaga liked the idea of “building the documentary,” and discovering things in the process. While the film deals with issues of homosexuality, it is also about breaking the misconceptions that North Americans have of gay culture in Latin America. "“It’s not only the idea that I want to make a film about the misery of these people, but as well to inform the audiences here. In Peru, we don’t deal with maricones [faggots] the way people think. I want to change the idea that in Latin America everyone is homophobic.”" Arriaga believes strongly in the right of the people, and in breaking harmful stereotypes. Upon its release, Maricones received much critical acclaim and popularity among diverse audiences.Fact|date=April 2008

External links