Caracas, 07 September 2017.

Eight managers of the western section of Petróleos de Venezuela SA (PDVSA) were detained as part of the investigations into the Petrozamora joint venture, which is being carried out by the Attorney General, Tarek William Saab.

He stated that investigation into this case started a week ago, once the directive of the state oil company requested the investigation before the courts.

The 44^th and 77^th prosecutors of the state of Zulia are participating in the search; however, the representative of Citizen Power said that the trial will take place in Caracas, and national prosecutors will be at the helm.

He indicated that in this first phase of the investigation, five crimes were identified; among them were illicit trafficking of strategic material, association to commit crime, fraudulent embezzlement, and use of and damage to the oil industry with criminal intent, among others.

He said that these criminal practices are indicative of a plan to sabotage the oil industry, thus affecting assets, and reiterated the possible existence of an extortion network that illegally recovers the repayment of previously affected services.

“These regrettable acts of corruption, detected in Petrozamora, are not an isolated incident; it is part of this Public Ministry’s goal to continue to combat corruption in the oil industry in a clear and forceful way,” said Saab.

Among those arrested are Gustavo Malavé, executive director of Western Production, Juan Carrillo, sub-director of Western Production, Héctor Roque, manager of Integral Plant Operations, César Valera, Western Production Business Manager, Adolfo Torres, general manager of SI West, Henri Sánchez, director of SI Production for the Eastern Coast of the Lake, José Marín, regional manager of SI West, Juan Barreto Ramos, general manager of Western Production, among others.

He also stated that an arrest warrant had been issued for Bernardo Atencio, the former deputy director of Western Production, who is a fugitive.

He announced that, as an alternative measure, he requested the preventive seizure of all furniture and real estate as well as freezing the accounts of all involved.

Likewise, he denounced the illegal extraction and marketing of hydrocarbons to Caribbean countries through companies being investigated, as well as the purchase of additives to process oil through a company linked to those involved in the case.

He emphasized that he has the full support of the President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, as well as that of the Supreme Court of Justice and other judicial bodies for this research process.

Source: http://vtv.gob.ve/fiscal-general-presento-balance-de-investigaciones-en-caso-petrozamora/

Last week I received an odd and unexpected email with the following subject: “REDLANDS a dark indie film by John Brian King” (sic). It was signed by the completely unknown to me Eva Richter. Upon opening the message I found the press book and a code to watch an American independent film just out of the oven. It is called “Redlands” and Eva Richter is a co-producer.

In addition to the technical and artistic notes and some suggestive photos of a scantily clad redhead (actually…without clothing), what most grabbed my attention was the inclusion of the reasons for which various (unnamed) festivals had rejected the film. Said arguments included, “Overall, this film feels humorless, cynical, and ugly”; “It feels particularly voyeuristic and sadistic”; “Needless to say, this made me want to avoid Redlands, CA at all costs, and made me proud to be from Ohio, a state that the main character derides.” Obviously, I had to see it.

I was anticipating a weird movie but what I found exceeded my expectations. It is filmed in lengthy, completely static sequences (except for the last scene, depressingly depressing, in which the camera turns on itself as though it were a nightmare chasing its own tail) in which characters enter and exit, set in the California city of 65,000 after which the film is named.

In this city three characters mix it up: Vienna, an extremely attractive twenty-year-old who works as a receptionist in an office and unleashes her artistic aspirations as a nude model; Zack, her boyfriend, an aspiring rock star who acts as her “protector” and takes advantage of her, in all senses of the word; and Allan, a middle-aged guy without a job or anything particularly useful, disowned by his ex-wife and daughter, who one lucky day decided that photography was his passion and hired Vienna as his model.

Not once while watching was I able to decide whether I was watching a work of genius or mockery. But, while I mulled between these two options, I was completely unable to avert my eyes from the screen…much less press pause.

Everything the festivals had said—except the gentleman from Ohio, over whom we’ll place a veil: stupid localisms aren’t just a Spanish thing—was absolutely correct: it is a movie without a sense of humor, it is cynical, unpleasant, voyeuristic, and sadistic, without a doubt. However, with its rhythmic, almost maddening pace, its unhealthy and sickly atmosphere, its extremely morbid handling of almost explicit sex and latent violence, and its apparently inconsequential dialogue that provides remarkable depth, it is also a movie that is hypnotic, unsettling, disturbing, obsessive, and extremely fascinating.

All of the actors are total unknowns, but the female protagonist has a curious history. She is Nicole Fox, a beautiful and sculptural Californian redhead born 23 years ago who jumped to fame by winning the thirteenth edition of the reality show “America’s Next Top Model,” which was specifically intended for models under 5′ 7″ (her exact height). Fox is a diamond in the rough: the camera loves her and surrenders to her unconditionally; she knows how to communicate her emotions through her eyes, she has a suggestive voice, an impressive physique, she isn’t afraid of taking risks, and her inhibitions (as is made clear in the film) are not to be found. It will be surprising if she doesn’t turn into a glittering movie star in the future, which will lead to “Redlands,” in addition to its oddities, becoming a part of history for being the first in which she appeared as a main character…and probably the riskiest of her career.

Originally at: http://redlandsthemovie.com/Film-Reviews