Watchers of the Sky
Edet Belzberg's sweeping survey of global genocide is an impressive and artful cinematic thesis of palpable substance.
Watchers of the Sky
With his provocative question, “why is the killing of a million a lesser crime than the killing of an individual?” Raphael Lemkin changed the course of history. An extraordinary testament to one man’s perseverance, the Sundance award-winning film Watchers of the Sky examines the life and legacy of the Polish-Jewish lawyer and linguist who coined the term genocide. Before Lemkin, the notion of accountability for war crimes was virtually nonexistent. After experiencing the barbarity of the Holocaust firsthand, he devoted his life to convincing the international community that there must be legal retribution for mass atrocities targeted at minorities. An impassioned visionary, Lemkin confronted world apathy in a tireless battle for justice, setting the stage for the Nuremberg trials and the creation of the International Criminal Court.
Inspired by Samantha Power’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book A Problem From Hell, this multi-faceted documentary interweaves Raphael Lemkin’s struggle with the courageous efforts of four individuals keeping his legacy alive: Luis Moreno Ocampo, Chief Prosecutor of the ICC; Samantha Power, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations; Ben Ferencz, a former Nuremberg prosecutor still tenaciously lobbying the UN for peace, and Rwandan Emmanuel Uwurukundo, UN Refugee Agency Field Director in Chad. Alternating live interviews with rare archival footage and striking animation, Watchers of the Sky illuminates the compassion and bravery of these humanitarians and powerfully demonstrates the ability of global activism to give a voice to the silent victims of genocide.
Winner! Sundance Film Festival 2014 - U.S. Documentary Special Jury Prize for Use of Animation
Winner! Sundance Festival 2014 - Editing Award: U.S. Documentary
Winner! Jerusalem Film Festival 2014 - Ostrovsky Award for Best Documentary
Winner! Jerusalem Film Festival 2014 - In The Spirit of Freedom Award for Best Documentary
Inspired by Samantha Power’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book A Problem From Hell, this multi-faceted documentary interweaves Raphael Lemkin’s struggle with the courageous efforts of four individuals keeping his legacy alive: Luis Moreno Ocampo, Chief Prosecutor of the ICC; Samantha Power, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations; Ben Ferencz, a former Nuremberg prosecutor still tenaciously lobbying the UN for peace, and Rwandan Emmanuel Uwurukundo, UN Refugee Agency Field Director in Chad. Alternating live interviews with rare archival footage and striking animation, Watchers of the Sky illuminates the compassion and bravery of these humanitarians and powerfully demonstrates the ability of global activism to give a voice to the silent victims of genocide.
Winner! Sundance Film Festival 2014 - U.S. Documentary Special Jury Prize for Use of Animation
Winner! Sundance Festival 2014 - Editing Award: U.S. Documentary
Winner! Jerusalem Film Festival 2014 - Ostrovsky Award for Best Documentary
Winner! Jerusalem Film Festival 2014 - In The Spirit of Freedom Award for Best Documentary
Genre
Documentary,
Bio-pic,
History
Runtime
121
Language
English
Director
Edet Belzberg
Awards:
Winner, Special Jury Prize ~ Documentary, Sundance Film Festival
FEATURED REVIEW
Dan Fienberg, HitFix
Edet Belzberg's "Watchers of the Sky" is a fascinating and tricky film, because it's about a man who died 55 years ago and a concept that'll be difficult for many people to wrap their heads around. The primary subject is Raphael Lemkin, who coined the word genocide and made it his life's work to ...
Played at
Town Center 5 10.17.14 - 10.23.14
Royal 10.17.14 - 10.23.14
Lumiere Music Hall 10.31.14 - 11.06.14
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