The Reckoning
The Battle for the International Criminal Court
Late in the 20th century, in response to repeated mass atrocities around the world, more than 120 countries united to form the International Criminal Court (ICC)—the first permanent court created to prosecute perpetrators (no matter how powerful) of crimes against humanity, war crimes, and genocide. The Reckoning follows dynamic ICC Prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo and his team for 3 years across 4 continents as he issues arrest warrants for Lord’s Resistance Army leaders in Uganda, puts Congolese warlords on trial, shakes up the Colombian justice system, and charges Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir with genocide in Darfur, challenging the UN Security Council to arrest him. Building cases against genocidal criminals presents huge challenges, and the Prosecutor has a mandate but no police force. At every turn, he must pressure the international community to muster political will for the cause. Like a deft thriller, The Reckoning keeps you on the edge of your seat, in this case with two riveting dramas—the prosecution of unspeakable crimes and the ICC’s fight for efficacy in its nascent years. As this tiny court in The Hague struggles to change the world and forge a new paradigm for justice, innocent victims suffer and wait. Will the Prosecutor succeed? Will the world ensure that justice prevails?
Related News and Production Notes
the enduring role of radio
From Engagement to Political Impact
The Reckoning at the Rome Statute X Anniversary
Announcing IJCentral
International Justice Central - IJ Central
The Reckoning accepted at BritDoc 08 Good Pitch
Closing the Impunity Gap
Brave New World: filming without film or videotape
Update on our ICC film project
mobile phone social networks
“This is no talking heads documentary. Cameras take us into the displacement camps of Uganda, where local survivors talk of their babies beaten to death. In Congo there are interviews with former child soldiers and sex slaves. There ...”
— Val Kermode Eye for Film“Stay home for the national television premiers – or better yet, host a gathering. It will have you on the edge of your seat. ...”
— IntLawGrlls Blog“This richly detailed documentary views the attempt to penalize brutality and genocide. ...”
— Mike Hughes Lansing State Journal“So spread the word, invite your friends over, and spend this Tuesday night learning more about ‘the Battle for the International Criminal Court. ...”
— James Starowicz The Daily Kos“A great film. ...”
— Mark Leon Goldberg UNDispatch.com“A genuinely excellent documentary, one that manages to be both educational and exciting. ...”
— Kevin Jon Heller Opinio Juris Blog“The Reckoning doesn’t really conclude nor does it assure us that everything will be okay, but it does provide a spark of hope, a hint there is a force out there moving in the right direction. ...”
— Jim Rohner Zoomin.com“You probably don’t even know we have an International Criminal Court. This 2009 Sundance Film Festival selection introduces us to Luis Moreno-Ocampo….and his corps of young, idealistic lawyers. ...”
— Aaron Barnhart The Kansas City Star“The Reckoning is a riveting look at the ICC’s efforts to bring to justice the perpetrators of some of the world’s worst crimes while those offenses are still taking place. ...”
— DeWane Wickham USA Today“[The Reckoning] coveys the extreme trickiness of achieving both peace and justice amid politically loaded situations. ...”
— Dennis Harvey Variety“The facts seem apparent. And yet they also exist in cultural and political frameworks designed to protect those in power. And so, as The Reckoning reveals again and again, the ICC team—attorneys, investigators, and ...”
— Cynthia Fuchs Pop Matters“We tend to steer away from film recommendations here, but a documentary about the International Criminal Court, airing on PBS, should be worth your while. ...”
— Ben Hallman AM Litigation Law Daily, AmericanLawyer.com“The film boasts several compelling characters…[ICC Prosecutor] Luis Moreno-Ocampo is its quietly charismatic central figure….[A] beautifully crafted film. ...”
— Tom Jacobs Miller-McClune Magazine“Profound…A valuable introduction. ...”
— Cynthia Fuchs PopMatters.com
For 25 years Skylight Pictures has been committed to producing artistic, challenging and socially relevant independent documentary films on issues of human rights and the quest for justice. Through the use of film and digital technologies, we seek to engage, educate and increase understanding of human rights amongst the public at large and policy makers, contributing to informed decisions on issues of social change and the public good. 
