Dec 30, 2009

Mexican inmates' families protest Mel Gibson film shoot

06:17 PM

Earlier this month, Mel Gibson persuaded Mexican officials to clear out a prison in Veracruz so he can start shooting a movie there next month. But family members of prisoners who would be relocated are giving the plan a thumbs down, saying it will cause hardships.

Yesterday, about 300 relatives ended a 24-hour protest outside the Ignacio Allende prison in the Gulf coast city after the warden assured them that he has not been ordered to transfer any of the 1,000 inmates to other prisons, and that he would notify them of any relocations, Agence France-Presse reports.

Transferring prisoners "would create serious financial problems for a lot of the families" who visit loved ones behind bars, said David Estevez, a relative of an inmate.

The governor of Veracruz state, Fidel Herrera Beltran, said prisoners would be transferred next month so Gibson could film. He said a new prison being built nearby would be finished first.

Beltran announced the prison purge Dec. 6. "My friend Mel is coming to work for many months here in Veracruz," he said. Gibson scoped out the prison in April.

Gibson is a familiar face in Veracruz. His 2006 film, Apocalypto, was shot there, and he donated $1 million in 2005 for hurricane relief .

On Deadline has asked Gibson's publicist for comment.

http://content.usatoday.com/communities ... lm-shoot/1