Theatrical Premiere Press Release

January 15, 2001 - Austin, Texas

The award-winning documentary film "Split Decision" will have its U.S. theatrical premiere starting February 9 at the Arbor Theater in Austin.

The documentary, about deported boxer Jesus "El Matador" Chavez, was enthusiastically received at film festivals across the country last year, including the Chicago Latino Film Festival, the USA Film Festival (Dallas), the New York International Latino Film Festival, and the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival. The film sold out its two festival screenings in Austin last May, at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema on closing night of the Cine Las Americas Film Festival.

The opening coincides with Chavez’ return to the U.S. after favorable INS decisions late last year. He will be returning to the ring in Austin in late February (see the attachment "What’s the Latest?" for more detail).

Jesus Chavez was born in Mexico, but grew up as an American kid in the inner city of Chicago: getting by in school, competing as a talented amateur boxer… and making friends with a few rough kids. When two gang members invited him along on an armed robbery of a local grocery store in September 1990, he accepted. They got the money; no one was hurt. He was caught a week later, and sent to prison for three and a half years, his world shattered, his parents stunned.

After his release, Jesus settled in Austin to get away from the influence of his street friends. He turned to boxing, pouring his energy into a stellar career that earned him respect, recognition, and support from a broad-based group of friends and fans.

"Split Decision" is the story of an immensely talented young boxer who manages to turn his life around, only to be deported to Mexico in 1997 just as he is on the verge of a world championship. Back in the country he left as a child, Jesus finds himself facing two new battles… the fight for the right to return to his family and career in the U.S., and the struggle to be accepted in the country of his birth.

First time documentary director Marcy Garriott says the film was shot in DV format over a two-year period in Chicago, Austin, Mexico City, and the Mexican state of Chihuahua. She was drawn to the story after meeting Jesus and being struck by the irony of his situation… a rehabilitated "success" of our justice system being deported, separated from the new life he had worked so hard to build. "Jesus is an extraordinary person – gentle and sincere, yet incredibly determined and focused," says the Austin-based director. "His story is so personal, and yet it touches on so many important larger issues, like cultural identity, the fairness of current immigration policy, and the difficulty of true redemption in today’s ‘tough-on-crime’ atmosphere."

The film’s story-telling approach is honest and straightforward, yet the cumulative effect of the imagery and voices in the film is lyrical and rich. This is a bittersweet film that leaves the audience thinking about the issues it raises long afterwards.

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The Chavez/Alvarez fight that ends the documentary was subsequently declared "Fight of the Year" by the Mexico City Boxing Commission and the Mexico City press. Jesus has become well-recognized in Mexico and has fought regularly (record 35-1). However, from Mexico he has been unable to challenge the WBC super-featherweight champion, Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Jesus’ contracts with manager Richard Lord and promoter Main Events expired, and he has signed with management more active in Mexico. His new manager is Fernando Beltrán and his new promoter is Las Vegas-based Top Rank.

Jesus received a second pardon hearing (for the armed robbery) in the state of Illinois in early October. He received special permission from the INS allowing him attend the hearing and testify on his own behalf, as well as to visit his mother, who has continued to have serious health problems in Chicago. Other witnesses included author Jan Reid (author of Texas Monthly article "The Contender," and upcoming book "The Bullet Meant for Me"), Austin immigration lawyer Barbara Hines, and "Split Decision" director Marcy Garriott. The governor of Illinois has not yet made a decision on this latest pardon request.

In the meantime, based on Jesus’ rehabilitation and accomplishments, the INS in San Antonio granted him a separate pardon in late October 2000, for his previous deportation.  He is currently waiting for his immigrant visa appointment so that he may apply for permanent residence (green card) through his father, who is a naturalized U.S. citizen. Jesus has now also been granted temporary visas to train and box in the U.S. He is training part-time in Austin with Richard Lord, and part-time in Tijuana, Mexico.

Jesus’ first fight back in the U.S. in over three years took place 1/14/01 in Houston, against lightweight opponent Benito Rodriguez, and was televised on Univision. Jesus won on a TKO in the 6th round. His next fight is tentatively scheduled for February 23 in Austin, against Tom "Boom Boom" Johnson.

Many American families have been negatively affected by the strict immigration laws passed in 1996 that require deportation of non-citizens (even legal immigrants who have lived in the U.S. most of their lives) with criminal records. A campaign called "Fix ‘96" has been spearheaded by the American Bar Association, the American Immigration Lawyers Association, the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights, the National Immigration Forum, the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, the General Board of Church and Society of the United Methodist Church, the American Civil Liberties Union, and many others. This effort is attempting to legislatively address the problems of current deportation policy (specifically the retroactive interpretation of the laws, the mandatory detention requirements, deportation for many fairly minor crimes regardless of how long ago the offense was committed, and the removal of judicial review options.) Despite these efforts, legislative change is slow. Congress is asking the INS to simply "apply more discretion," to pick and choose cases in which to seek deportation. The INS is in turn requesting that Congress specifically amend the laws to eliminate many of the restrictive provisions. While the federal courts have limited the scope of some of the 1996 law provisions, the rulings have not been uniform across the country. The Supreme Court has agreed to hear arguments this spring pertaining to long-term detention of permanent residents and the retroactive application of the law.

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