The Art of Political Murder

2020 Official Selection: Features

FEATURE | UK | 89 MINUTES | English, Spanish |

THE ART OF POLITICAL MURDER

Documentary

In the aftermath of the Guatemalan Civil War, a vicious conflict between government forces and leftist rebel groups, human rights activist Bishop Juan Gerardi presents a damning report outlining atrocities committed by the army.  Two days later, he is brutally murdered in his garage. The murder sets the stage for a powerful battle between justice and corruption in this political crime thriller.

Informed by Francisco Goldman’s book of the same title, The Art of Political Murder features key investigators and witnesses recollecting the seminal investigation and trial that ensued. A group of brave, young investigators, assembled by the church, pursue justice for Gerardi’s death with the same rigor and decency they brought to the historic human rights report, restoring belief in a Guatemalan justice system. This is a suspenseful document of a battle between justice and a corrupt state in which the words of Gerardi echo throughout: ""Truth is the primary word that makes it possible for us to break this cycle of death and violence and to open ourselves to a future of hope and light for all.”—Luke Moody


CAST & CREDITS

Directed by Paul Taylor

Paul Taylor is an Emmy award-winning filmmaker. He directed We Are Together (Tribeca 2007); produced The Interrupters by Steve James; and Rough Aunties by Kim Longinotto. His films have won numerous festival awards including Tribeca, Sundance, IDFA and Edinburgh, as well as receiving a Grierson Award and an IDA Award.

Director
Paul Taylor
Producer
Teddy Leifer, Regina K. Scully
Cinematographer
Tom Turley
Editor
Masahiro Hirakubo
Composer
Yann McCullough
Executive Producer
George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller
Co-Producer
Megan Davis
US Distributor
HBO

CONTACTS

Press Contact
steven beeman
Falco Ink
ny, NY 10019
Phone: 2124457100
Stevenmbeeman@falcoink.com