Biography
Rodrigo Vazquez graduated from the National Film & TV School and began working in TV in 1998 for BBC World. As a free-lance producer / director / cameraman he’s worked with all the main international broadcasters masking documentaries, either investigative or observational, and has extensive experience in war zones, particularly in the Middle East. His war-zone work has received the prestigious Rory Peck Award for Features in 2003 and 2008, his observational films have won numerous commendations, from the “Semaine de la Critique” at the Cannes Film Festival, IDFA and the Grand Prizes at Argentina’s Film Festival of Political Cinema, Montreal’s Human Rights Film Festival and Amnesty International’s Film Festival. In 2005 Rodrigo created Bethnal Films to continue his international work for Al Jazeera Netwok, BBC, Channel 4, NHK and others.
Filmography
As Producer, Director & Cameraman
Title: ‘All the President’s Torturers’ (2013) / 52’ – a film about Brazil’s Truth Commission as it investigates crimes against humanity committed by the security forces from 1964 to 1985 with the help of former death-squad member and whistle-blower Claudio Guerra.
Title: ‘Chile’s Most Wanted” (2012) / 25’ – branded a 'terrorist' by the Chilean government, one man is fighting to save his ancestral lands from destruction. Produced by Bethnal Films for Activate Al Jazeera English.
Title: ‘Cuba’s Dissidents’ (2012) / 25’ – a current affairs program about human rights abuses in Cuba today and one journalist’s mission to document them. Produced by Bethnal Films for People & Power Al Jazeera English.
Title: ‘A Child Miner in Jail’ (2012) / 25’ – latest episode of a 7 year-long series about the struggle of Bolivian teenage miners Alex and Jorge against poverty and disease. Produced by Bethnal Films for Witness Al Jazeera English.
‘Time to Fight’ (2012) / 45’ – an observational documentary about Lucia Garcia, whose parents were ‘disappeared’ during the military dictatorship in Argentina, that follows Lucia’s 15 year-long struggle to bring her parents’ assassins to court. Produced by Bethnal Films for Al Jazeera English.
Title: ‘Borders’ (2011) HD / 90’ & 59’ – an observational documentary feature about the daily lives of people living in border-towns in South America against the backdrop of climate change. Produced by Bethnal Films for NHK Japan & Al Jazeera Documentary Channel Qatar.
Title: ‘A league of their own’ (2011) HD / 28’ – a character-led documentary about indigenous women who use football as a way to organize their deprived communities. Produced by Bethnal Films for Al Jazeera’s Witness series.
Title: ‘Teenage Miners’ (2011) HD / 47’ & 22’ – a documentary about the struggle of Bolivian teenage miners against poverty and disease. Produced by Bethnal Films for Al Jazeera’s Witness series.
Title: ‘Cuba: the great debate’ (2011) HD / 24’ – an investigation into the economic reforms introduced by Cuba’s government to ease the economic crisis. Do they signal the end of Socialism? Produced by Bethnal Films for Al Jazeera’s People & Power series.
Title: ‘Bolivia’s Answer to Climate Change’ (2010) HD / 24’ – a current affairs programme about how the Bolivian indigenous government is dealing with climate change. Produced by Bethnal Films for Al Jazeera’s People & Power series.
Title: ‘Child Informants’ (2010) HD / 24’ – a documentary about the use of children in intelligence work by the Marxist guerrillas, the paramilitaries and the Army in the Colombian conflict. Produced by Bethnal Films for the series ‚People & Power‛, Al Jazeera English.
Title: ‘This land is our land’ (2009) HDV / 47’ – a documentary about a commune of former landless peasants and victims of the Paraguayan dictatorship trying to organise a collective farm in land that used to belong to the filmmaker’s family 30 years ago. Produced by Bethnal Films for Al Jazeera English.
Title: ‘Interrogating a torturer’ (2009) HDV / 21’ – a documentary about a torture victim in Argentina who decides to confront his jailed torturer in order to find out the names of all the military involved in his ordeal at the time of the 1976-83 dictatorship. Produced by Bethnal Films for Al Jazeera English.
Title: ‘The People vs. Barrick Gold’ (2009) HDV / 21’ – a documentary about the struggle of three school teachers in Argentina against the world’s biggest gold mining company. Produced by Bethnal Films for Al Jazeera English.
Title: ‘President Evo’ (2009) HDV / 45’ – a documentary that follows the first three years on government of indigenous Bolivian President Evo Morales in his bid to re-write his country’s Constitution to empower the poor. Produced by Bethnal Films for Al Jazeera English. Nominated to the Dirk Vandersypen Award 2010 for Best Latin American Film.
Title: ‘Angels of Rio’ (2009) HDV / 90’ & 59’ – documentary film about a private detective in Rio who specializes in corporate crime and narco-trafficking. Produced by Bethnal Films UK and Alegria Films France for NHK Japan, BBC, SBS Australia & Al Jazeera English. To be released in Spring 2009.
Title: ‘Child Miners’ (2008) HDV / 45’ – a documentary about the daily troubles of two child miners, Jorge and Alex, who make one dollar a day working in the crumbling Bolivian mine of Lllallagua. Produced by Bethnal Films for Al Jazeera English. Winner of the Grand Prix at the Montreal Human Rights Film Festival 2009. Official Selection at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam 2008 (Silver Wolf Competition), DerHumalc Human Rights Festival 2009 Argentina, Guadalajara Int. Film Festival 2009, Thessaloniki Imahges of the 21st Century Festival, Greece, Korea’s Human Rights Film Festival 2009, Zagreb Dox 2009 & others.
Title: ‘Inside Hamas’ (2008) HDV / 48’ – a character-led film about Hamas running a proto-state in the Gaza Strip at the time of its 20th anniversary. Produced by Stampede Ltd. for Channel 4 UK. PICK OF THE DAY in Radio Times, the Telegraph, Financial Times, Guardian; PICK OF THE WEEK of all television in The Times and The Independent. Nominated to the Rory Peck Awards 2008. Official Selection at the Films for Peace Festival, Rome, 2008 & DerHumalc Human Rights Festival 08, BsAs, Argentina.
Title: ‘Witness’ (2008) 6 x 21’ character-led documentaries about the cost of internal war in Bolivia, Argentina, Paraguay & Lebanon. Produced by Bethnal Films for Al Jazeera English.
Title: ‘Looking for the revolution’ (2007) HDV / 86’ & ‘52 – An authored documentary about the rise of ethno-nationalism and its impact on democracy in Bolivia. The filmmaker follows indigenous workers as they seize power and reshape their country. Produced by Bethnal Films for BBC / ARTE / ZDF / SBS / CBC / Al Jazeera Qatar.
Title: ‘Witness’ (2006) HDV / 6 x 21’ character-led documentaries about how working-class people from Bolivia, Venezuela, Peru and France are transforming 21st century politics. Produced by Bethnal Films for Witness / Al Jazeera English.
As Director & Cameraman
Title: ‘Indonesia: Wildlife Warriors’ (2011) HD / 25’ – reporter-led current affairs programme about Indonesian activists trying to save the country’s endangered animals and forests. Produced by Quicksilver Media for Channel 4’s Unreported World series. PICK OF THE DAY – The Guardian, the Independent & others.
Title: ‘Havana-Miami’ (2010) HD / 59’ – a character-led film about the lives of three Cuban families living in Miami and three families living in Havana today. Co-Produced with Alegria Productions (France) for Franco-German Channel Arte’s ‚Grand Format‛ series.
Title: ‘Unreported World: Living with Hezbollah’ (2006) DV / 25’ – a current affairs programme about sectarian divisions in Lebanon after the summer 2006 War with Israel. Produced by Mentorn TV for Channel 4. PICK OF THE DAY – The Guardian.
Title: ‘Unreported World: The Bullet and the Ballot Box’ (2005) DV / 25’ – a current affairs programme about Hamas’ rise to power in the Gaza Strip. Produced by Mentorn TV for Channel 4.
Title: ‘Unreported World: Colombia’s dirty war’ (2005) DV / 25’ – a current affairs programme about the role of the paramilitaries in the war against the FARC guerrilla in Colombia. Produced by Mentorn TV for Channel 4. PICK OF THE DAY / WEEK – The Guardian, The Times, The Observer.
Title: ‘An American Martyr’ (2005) DV / 90’ & 52’ – a documentary about Rachel Corrie, the American activist crushed by an Israeli bulldozer in the Gaza Strip. Produced by Rodrigo Vazquez & Azmi Keshawi for Channel 4 International, supported by the Sundance Documentary Fund (US).
Title: ‘Why intelligence fails’ (2004) Digi Beta / 4 x 52’ - an unparalleled cast of intelligence experts from around the world answer the question of why intelligence goes wrong and what we can learn from the mistakes. Filmed in Afghanistan, El Salvador, Pakistan & USA. Produced by Wilton Films for Discovery Europe & Discovery/Times.
Title: ‘Dispatches: The Killing of Kashmir’ (2004) DV / 52’ – a current affairs programme about the counter-insurgency war fought by the Indian Army in Kashmir. Produced by Mentorn TV for Channel 4. PICK OF THE DAY / WEEK - The Guardian, The Times, The Independent, Evening Standard, Metro, The Sun.
Title: ‘Condor: the axis of Evil’ (2003) DV & 35mm / 90’ & 52’ – an investigative documentary about a US-sponsored terrorist network responsible for kidnappings, assassinations and disappearances in South America in the 70’s and 80’s. Premiered at CANNES FILM FESTIVAL 2003. Produced by Article Z & R Vazquez for France 5 & BBC 4.
Title: ‘Dispatches: The Killing Zone’ (2003) DV / 52’ – an investigative documentary about the military occupation of the Gaza Strip by the Israeli Army. ‚American activist Rachel Corrie is crushed by an Israeli bulldozer, British protester Tom Hurdnall is shot in the head by a sniper, cameraman James Miller is killed holding a white flag. If this is happening to foreigners, what about the Palestinians who live in Gaza?‛ Produced by Mentorn TV for Channel 4. PICK OF THE DAY / WEEK.
Title: ‘Unreported World: City of the Lost Girls’ (2003) DV / 30’ – a current affairs programme about the 400 murdered women of Ciudad Juarez in Mexico. Produced by Mentorn TV for Channel 4. PICK OF THE DAY.
Title: ‘Unreported World: Voodoo Nation’ (2003) DV / 30’ – a current affairs programme about gang violence in the poorest country of the Western hemisphere. Produced by Mentorn TV for Channel 4. PICK OF THE DAY.
Title: ‘Unreported World: Killing to belong’ (2002) DV / 30’ – gangs of Salvadorean deportees formed in the US give a new identity to the war-torn country and terrorise San Salvador. Produced by Mentorn TV for Channel 4. PICK OF THE DAY / WEEK.
Title: ‘Unreported World: Journeys to Heaven and Hell’ (2002) DV Wide-screen / 30’ – a week in the Gaza Strip as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict heats up after the September 11 attacks. PICK OF THE WEEK - The Observer, Pick of the Day for The Sun, The Guardian, The Sunday Times and Metro. Produced by Mentorn Barraclough Carey for Channel 4.
Title: ‘Unreported World: Coca or Death’ (2001) DV Wide-screen / 30’ – a programme about how the eradication of coca in Bolivia and the US war on drugs has produced the collapse of the local economy. PICK OF THE WEEK - The Sunday Times, The Independent, The Guardian and The Observer. Produced by Mentorn Barraclough Carey for Channel 4.
Title: ‘The Living Pulse’ (2001) Beta SP / 15’ x 10 – a series about innovations in Medicine around the world. Filmed in Argentina, Brazil and Chile. Produced by Mentorn Barraclough Carey for The Discovery Channel (TX 2001).
Title: ‘David's movie’ (2000) DV Wide-screen / 56’ – a film tribute to the life and career of British filmmaker David Munro. Filmed in London & Washington DC. Independently produced in association with the Vietnam Veterans of America Association. Festivals: International Documentary Festival Sheffield 2000 (Premiere), International Independent Film Festival, Buenos Aires, 2001.
Title: ‘Chico’s Legacy’ (1998) DV / 30’ - a documentary about the destruction of the Amazon rain-forest ten years after the assassination of Brazilian activist Chico Mendes. Filmed in Xapuri, Rio Branco & Brasilia; Washington DC & London. Produced by Television Trust for the Environment (TVE Intl.) for the BBC World, in association with WWF London, McArthur Foundation & BT Petroleum.
Title: ‘April Diary’ (1998) 16mm / 26’ - a film-essay about the Malvinas War. Filmed in Portsmouth, Cuba & Buenos Aires. Produced by the National Film & TV School, supported by the British Council & The Churches’ Overseas Students Hardship Fund. Awards: 1998 Jerwood Foundation Award. Festivals : IDFA 98 – Amsterdam, Sheffield Intl. Documentary Festival 1998, International Festival of Film Schools Munich 1999, Cork International Film Festival 1999, Mexico Student Film Festival ’99, Taipei Film Festival 2000, Rencontres Internationales Henri Langlois Poitiers 2000, The First Irish-Latin American Film Festival 2000.
Title : ‘Hasta la memoria, siempre’ / ‘Even Memories…’ (1997) 16mm / 26’ - a documentary about a young woman’s fight for justice following the ‘disappearance’ of her parents by the Argentine Armed Forces. Filmed in La Plata & Buenos Aires. Produced by the National Film & TV School, in association with Fundacion Universidad del Cine Awards : BBC ‘Picture This’ Award ’98; Commended by the 9th Royal Anthropological Institute’s Intl. Film Festival, nominated for the Royal Television Society award 1998, Commended by the 6th RAI International Festival of Ethnographic Film, Goldsmith College 1998. Festivals : Festival del Nuevo Cine Latinoamericano 1997, La Habana; Sao Paulo Intl. Short Film Festival 1998; Leipzig Student Film Festival 1998; ‘Vue Sur les Docs 98’, Marseille; Latin American Film Festival in Dublin 2000; Bloody Sunday Commemoration 2001 - Derry.
As Executive Producer
Title: ‘Viewfinder: Al Jazeera English’ (2013) / 25’ x 6 – series of observational documentary films made by six Latin American filmmakers as part of the Viewfinder Talent Campus for Witness Al Jazeera English.
Title: ‘Balancing a Dream’ (2011) / 24’ – a character-led documentary about Jinnan Times investigative reporter Sun Hua and his struggle to get his investigations published in China. Directed by Ling Lee. Produced by Bethnal Films for Al Jazeera English.
Title: ‘Patria Mia’ (2008) HDV / 52’ & 21’ – a character led documentary about Chinese immigrants living in Banja Luka, Bosnia. Directed by Duska Zagorac. Produced by Bethnal Films for Al Jazeera English. Official selection at Sheffield Documentary Festival & Sarajevo International Film Festival 2008. Title: ‘Loony Tunes’ (2007) HDV / 21’ – a character led documentary about patients of a psychiatric unit in Buenos Aires who run one of the most popular radio programmes in Argentina. Directed by Simon Deeley & Rodrigo Vazquez. Produced by Bethnal Films for Al Jazeera English.
Title: ‘La Apertura’ (2006) DV-35mm / 22’ fiction film about three young tango dancers caught in a love triangle. Filmed in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Produced by Bethnal Films for Channel 4. Awards: Audience Award, Bilbao Zinelbi International Festival (Spain). Festivals: Official Selection La Biennale di Venezia (Italy), Clermont-Ferrand (France), Cinequest (USA), Seagate Foyle (Ireland) & others.
