Film Overview
In 2016, in the wake of the Colombia peace process with the FARC, I conceived the idea of producing an ethnographic film about the reintegration stories of demobilized members of the FARC. Between 2016 and 2022, I worked as the film's producer and tracked the personal stories of three individual ex-combatants from the FARC: Dayana, a market vendor navigating her identity as a trans woman; Ricardo, a young father secretly clinging to his leftist ideology; and Alexandra, an Indigenous child soldier who was forced to leave her family behind in the Amazon. The film had its world premiere at the Miami Film Festival and has screened at 20 film festivals in the US, Europe, the Caribbean, and Latin America. It has won several awards, including the Václav Havel Jury Award for Best Film (for outstanding contribution to human rights) at the 2023 One World Festival in Prague. The film is available on major streaming platforms including Amazon, YouTube, iTunes, Apple TV, and Google Play.
The film emphasizes the themes of loss, acceptance, and reconciliation through vérité storytelling. Interviews are minimal, and the narrative is told by observing our subjects’ circumstances and challenges, pausing only when contemplation is necessary. Sweeping shots of the Amazon jungle and mass protests are set against intimate scenes of Ricardo telling his daughter about his guerrilla past and Alexandra reuniting with her family.
The film received support from various organizations including: Sundance Institute Story Development Lab, Bogotá Audiovisual Market Rough Cut Screening Lab, International Peace Research Association Foundation, Center for Independent Documentary, University of Miami, Centro de Memoria Paz y Reconciliación, and Casa Museo de Memoria
Film Festivals and Awards
Festival Internacional de Cine el Ojo Cojo
November 17, 2023
Saarbrücken Latino Film Fest
November 13, 2023
Belfast Film Festival
November 8, 2023
València Indie Film Festival
April 21, 2023
One World Festival
March 27, 2023
Václav Havel Jury Award
Houston Latino Film Festival
March 19, 2023
Flagler Film Festival
January 20, 2023
Key West Film Festival
November 20, 2022
Muestra Internacional Documental de Bogotá
October 26, 2022
Sherman Oaks Film Festival
October 21, 2022
Grand Jury Award for Best Documentary
Portland Film Festival
October 20, 2022
Toronto Latin American Film Festival
October 17, 2022
San Francisco Latino Film Festival
October 12, 2022
Heartland International Film Festival
October 10, 2022
Seattle Latino Film Festival
October 8, 2022
Trinidad + Tobago Film Festival
September 23, 2022
New York Latino Film Festival
September 15, 2022
NYWIFT Award for Excellence in Documentary Directing
University Film and Video Association
July 30, 2022
Best Documentary Award
Miami Film Festival
March 6, 2022
World Premiere / Documentary Achievement Award Runner-Up
University Screenings
University screenings and presentation for students, faculty, and the public:
Universidad de los Andes (Colombia)
Universidad Nacional de Colombia (Colombia)
ETH Zurich (Switzerland)
University of Bayreuth (Germany)
University of Leipzig (Germany)
University of Jena (Germany)
Queen's University Belfast (UK)
Geneva Graduate Academy (Switzerland)
Ghent University (Belgium)
Press
Overly Honest Movie Reviews
February 27, 2023
A Story That You Won’t Believe
Golden Globes
February 23, 2023
“Strangers to Peace” Showcases Difficulties of Deprogramming Violence
El Espectador
February 18, 2023
La cinta “Ajenos a la paz” ahonda en el presente y pasado de excombatientes
Film Threat
March 23, 2022
Strangers to Peace
Screen Anarchy
March 15, 2022
Miami Film Festival
El Tiempo
March 10, 2022
Documental ‘Strangers to Peace’ reflexiona sobre el process de paz
AL DÍA
March 4, 2022
Ten Latino Movies to Watch at the Miami Film Festival
Website and Press Kit
Website: www.strangerstopeace.com
Press Kit: Strangers to Peace Press Kit