How can a documentary film contribute to social movements? By telling a story that captures the zeitgeist of a historical moment, that stirs and inspires audiences to reflect and to act. In this past year Granito: How to Nail a Dictator screened around the globe, from Amman to Auckland, Paris to Havana, ...
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How can a documentary film contribute to social movements? By telling a story that captures the zeitgeist of a historical moment, that stirs and inspires audiences to reflect and to act. In this past year Granito: How to Nail a Dictator screened around the globe, from Amman to Auckland, Paris to Havana, São Paulo to Vancouver, New York to Moscow, Geneva to Lima, in over 50 film festivals. In screening after screening, audiences connected to the theme of the power of collective change espoused in Granito, resonating with the Arab Spring and Occupy Wall Street movements. But most remarkably, Granito's release added its 'grain of sand' to the tipping point for justice reached in Guatemala this year, where more perpetrators of the genocide against the Maya people have been arrested, tried and convicted than in the previous 30 years since we released When the Mountains Tremble . And now to reinforce that tipping point, we are launching a companion digital project designed to restore the collective memory of the genocide in a public online archive, described here - Granito: Every Memory Matters. The film's journey is reflected in the Granito Facebook page, where nearly 4,000 followers have rallied, sharing stories, news, and demanding justice. And to get a sense of the people behind all of this, check out this slide show of photos of 'granitos' by renowned portraitist Dana Lixenberg.
As documentary activists who use film and advanced technologies to further human rights through storytelling, it's been a memorable year for us, from the standing ovation at Granito's Sundance Film Festival debut last January, to being Opening Night Film at the Human Rights Watch International Film Festival in New York, to vibrant discussions about power and democracy sparked at the Moscow screening , to meeting the amazing community that underpins Michael Moore's Traverse City Film Festival, to the nearly 1,500 people that filled 3 screenings in one night at the Hot Docs Doc Soup series in Toronto. Another major highlight of the year was our Kickstarter campaign to make an indie run for an Oscar nomination, which brought 346 backers together with the goal of introducing the message of Granito to the millions of viewers that tune in to watch the Academy Awards. In spite of a valiant effort we ultimately didn't get nominated, but our biggest reward is that now we have 346 committed backers who believe in what we do!
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This really captures the essence of "Granito: How To Nail A Dictator": "'Granito'" is remarkable for allowing two intertwined stories, one global and the other personal, to unfold together. It presents the hurricane of violence that enveloped Guatemala 25 years ago not just as a historical horror, ...
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This really captures the essence of "Granito: How To Nail A Dictator": "'Granito'" is remarkable for allowing two intertwined stories, one global and the other personal, to unfold together. It presents the hurricane of violence that enveloped Guatemala 25 years ago not just as a historical horror, but as a lens through which the filmmaker examines herself, her values, and her relationship to her art. Subtle, provocative, and deeply original, it is a hymn to both the nobility of Guatemalans and the power of filmmaking."
This great quote came from Stephen Kinzer, co-author of "Bitter Fruit: The Story of the American Coup in Guatemala", an inspiration for the making of "When the Mountains Tremble", the prequel to "Granito".
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We are thrilled that our film The Reckoning: The Battle for the International Criminal Court is one of 5 nominees for the new PUMA.Creative Impact Award, with the winner announced on October 11 in a gala ceremony hosted with Channel 4 BRITDOC Foundation at the Mandarin Hotel in London. As ...
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We are thrilled that our film The Reckoning: The Battle for the International Criminal Court is one of 5 nominees for the new PUMA.Creative Impact Award, with the winner announced on October 11 in a gala ceremony hosted with Channel 4 BRITDOC Foundation at the Mandarin Hotel in London. As described by the sponsor, it is "a major new annual award to honour the documentary film creating the most significant impact in the world. This 50,000 Euro award acknowledges the film’s makers and will help the continuation of the film’s campaign work." Wow!
Click here to check out the cool awards trailer from PUMA.
If you want to join the global conversation about international justice happening right now, check out IJCentral, the companion site to The Reckoning that we created for our ongoing outreach campaign in the fight to end impunity for massive crimes against humanity.
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This is the long-awaited New York theatrical opening of "Granito: How To Nail A Dictator". The exclusive NY run will last 9 days and serve for Oscar qualification as well. Filmmakers Pamela Yates, Peter Kinoy and Paco de Onís will be present for Q&As at the evening screenings on ...
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This is the long-awaited New York theatrical opening of "Granito: How To Nail A Dictator". The exclusive NY run will last 9 days and serve for Oscar qualification as well. Filmmakers Pamela Yates, Peter Kinoy and Paco de Onís will be present for Q&As at the evening screenings on September 14 through September 18. So come join us! [IFC Ceneter]
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We're thrilled that our film The Reckoning: The Battle for the International Criminal Court has been nominated for the PUMA Creative Impact Award, announced last night in a ceremony at the Durban International Film Festival. The PUMA is a new annual award that looks set to become the Oscar of impact, ...
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We're thrilled that our film The Reckoning: The Battle for the International Criminal Court has been nominated for the PUMA Creative Impact Award, announced last night in a ceremony at the Durban International Film Festival. The PUMA is a new annual award that looks set to become the Oscar of impact, outreach and audience engagement for social justice films.
We have been doing a huge amount of outreach with The Reckoning over the past 3 years all over the globe, doing our best to increase knowledge of how the International Criminal Court (ICC) operates in the world, and the inherent drama of trying to fulfill a justice mandate to bring perpetrators of massive crimes to account. It's nice to receive recognition, and now we just have keep our fingers crossed for the final decision on October 11 - the PUMA carries a 50,000 euro prize, no small piece of change!
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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. 
