La isla — Archives of a Tragedy
NEW DOCS
“This is where justice begins—finding out the truth, the whole truth.” In 2005, in the capital city of Guatemala, an explosion rocked a police barrack and the resulting investigation led to the shocking discovery of a secret police archive. Today, 190 people are employed to review and report on the records found in the archive. Many come upon information about their families. Others uncover atrocities too gruesome to imagine. All work together to bring to light what happened to tens of thousands of people who vanished during the 36-year civil war in Guatemala. Some find peace in knowing “the names of the students, teachers, workers, peasants [previously] hidden in the consciences of soldiers.” Somber and contemplative, this film is a multi-layered, artistically drawn elegy to the thousands of people murdered by the army and secret police. WFM
Director
Uli Stelzner
Producers
Uli Stelzner, Elke Benz, Zoran Solomun
Editor
Alina Teodorescu
Cinematographer
Guillermo Escalón
Release Year
2009
Festival Year
2010
Country
Germany, Guatemala
Run Time
85 minutes
Premiere
US Premiere