New York filmmakers Pamela Yates and Paco de Onis will be on campus to discuss two of their documentaries being shown as part of Lawrence University’s month-long series “Engaging Human Rights.”
On Monday, Oct. 24, following a 7 p.m. screening of the 2011 film “Granito: How to Nail a Dictator,” Yates, the film’s director and de Onis, its producer, will conduct a question-and-answer session in the Warch Campus cinema. The pair also will discuss “The Reckoning: The Battle for the International Criminal Court” on Tuesday, Oct. 25 after it is shown at 7 p.m.
Yates is a co-founder of Skylight Pictures, a company dedicated to creating films and digital media tools that advance awareness of human rights and the quest for justice. Four of the films more than dozen films she has directed have been nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival.
Paco, a partner at Skylight Pictures, previously produced documentaries for PBS and National Geographic. His eclectic background includes creating music festivals in South America and the Caribbean, renovating and operating an arts/performance theater in Miami Beach and owning a Spanish-style tapas tavern in a 500-year old colonial house in Cartagena, Colombia.
“Granito,” part political thriller, part memoir follows a 40-year search for details that can be used to hold accountable those responsible for the genocide of more than 200,000 people at the hands of Guatemalan military and paramilitary soldiers. It received the “Best Creative Documentary Award” at this year’s Paris International Film Festival.
“The Reckoning” explores the new International Criminal Court’s struggle to prosecute perpetrators of crimes against humanity, including Sudan President Omar al-Bashir and Lord’s Resistance Army leaders in Uganda. Recognized with Emmy Award nominations for Best Documentary and Outstanding Investigative Journalism, “The Reckoning” was named Best Documentary at the 2009 Politics on Film Festival in Washington, D.C.
Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a world-class conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. Ranked among America’s best colleges, it was selected for inclusion in the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.” Individualized learning, the development of multiple interests and community engagement are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,445 students from 44 states and 56 countries.
