The Documentary Tour Ambulante denied recent reports that two of its co-founders, the actors Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna , received millions of pesos from the Government for their personal enjoyment , as reported in some media, under the concept of donations for Ambulante AC
Through a statement posted on its official website, the agency indicated that it has been a creditor of funds public for the promotion of the documentaries that have been part of their events, but that this money has been exclusively for the dissemination activities of said films, and not for any of its members in particular.
“ All the economic resources available to Ambulante AC are obtained with full compliance with the requirements established in the calls issued by government or private institutions , which are widely known to the public ”, the text reads.
“The funds that Ambulante collects are for the exclusive use of its operations and its corporate purpose. Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna have not received a single peso, or salaries, or compensation, as it has been disseminated in a wrong way and without evidence in some media. ”
It was indicated in the letter that during the 16 years in which the cycle has been active, it has sought, in addition to exhibiting and creating new national documentary film projects, to form meeting spaces around cinema and to bring films to more than one million 279 thousand 600 audiences, including communities with little or no film offer.
Ambulante assured that it has also awarded scholarships that have promoted the work of 195 filmmakers, several of them from indigenous and Afro-descendant communities, and who have sought financial support for emergency situations .
“The integrity with which public resources are exercised by Ambulante AC is confirmed by annual and independent audits carried out by the specialized firm Deloitte, as well as by the Ministry of Culture of the Federal Government, the Ministry of Finance and the IMCINE, since these institutions do a punctual and meticulous monitoring of the destination of the public funds granted and their adherence to legality “, it was indicated.
“Ambulante will continue to travel to places that have little offer for documentary film exhibition and training, in order to create a participatory and informed public sphere, and open new channels of expression and reflection. This is Ambulante. ”
Several media recently indicated that the stars of ‘Rudo y Cursi’ would have received more than 160 million pesos between the six-year terms of the former presidents Felipe Calderón and Enrique Peña Nieto , through supposed federal and state trusts. An alleged former Ambulante collaborator was even cited who apparently described the association as a voracious elite NGO that only seeks to hoard funds using the image of Luna and García Bernal as a flag.