Strangers to Peace

STRANGERS TO PEACE

"...gives a human face to the FARC without sanitizing the guerilla movement's past actions."
-Film Threat

"...opens a necessary debate on the reintegration of former FARC members in Colombia."
-AL DÍA

"Poignant and powerful…a roller coaster of emotions."
-Overly Honest Movie Reviews

"...told through a very personal lens...its engaging rhythms and humanist point-of-view offer lessons..."
-Golden Globes

"Some of the most well-developed characters I have ever seen in a documentary...This film stays with you
like few others."
-Tom Musca, Writer/Producer "Stand and Deliver"

"...a marvel of deeply humanistic storytelling."
-Gabriel Rhenals, Director "For My Sister"

After a lifetime of war, three former soldiers abandon Colombia's FARC guerrilla army. They now face anxiety and danger as they attempt to rebuild their lives in a homeland that sees them as terrorists.

SYNOPSIS

Three former soldiers face retribution, anxiety, and danger as they attempt to rebuild their lives after leaving the FARC guerrilla army and the bloody Colombian conflict. Strangers to Peace intimately captures the personal stories of Dayana, the market vendor navigating her new identity as a trans woman; Ricardo, the young father secretly clinging to his communist ideology; and Alexandra, the indigenous child soldier, who was forced to leave her family behind in the Amazon. Their stories are told through the lens of filmmaker Laura Àngel, who herself was a victim of FARC violence.

FILMMAKERS

Director/Producer: Laura Àngel
Laura is an award-winning Colombian filmmaker and screenwriter. She has produced several short films including the internationally recognized Gallo (2014) and El instructivo del buitre (2014), winner of The 48-Hour Film Project Bogotá. Her latest film, Pichirilo (2016), was an official selection at the 2016 Bogotá Short Film Festival. She is a graduate of the Politécnico Grancolombiano, where she majored in media studies.

Director/Producer: Noah DeBonis
Noah was born in the Philippines, raised in Japan, lived in Colombia, and now calls Los Angeles home. His work as a Director and Editor has been featured on Netflix, Amazon, BBC America, Spotify, CBS, CNBC, The Smithsonian, and more. Strangers to Peace, which he is directing alongside his wife Laura Ángel Rengifo, is his first feature film and has been supported by the Sundance Institute. His short film Posthumous (2014) won a College Emmy Award. He is currently editing the Netflix documentary series Last Chance U.

Producer: Colleen Alena O'Brien
Colleen studies indigenous languages and cultures in Colombia. Her work focuses on linguistic description and language documentation while incorporating ethnographic filmmaking into her projects. She holds a Ph.D. in Linguistics from the University of Hawai'i and degrees in Classics and Anthropology from the University of Miami. She has presented at international conferences and is currently writing a book about the reintegration of ex-FARC combatants as a postdoctoral researcher at the Jena Center for Reconciliation Studies.

Co-Producer: Margaret Cardillo
Margaret Cardillo is a screenwriter, professor, and children’s book author. She holds degrees from Boston College and the University of Miami. Margaret’s writing for the screen won a College Television Award and received several Best of Fest awards and has placed her in many festivals around the country. Her children’s books have taken her to schools and events worldwide and have won several awards. Her first book on Audrey Hepburn has been optioned for the screen. A former book editor, Margaret now teaches screenwriting at the University of Miami.

SCREENINGS / AWARDS

Miami Film Festival (World Premiere / Documentary Achievement Award Runner-Up)
New York Latino Film Festival (NYWIFT Award for Excellence in Documentary Directing)
Sherman Oaks Film Festival (Grand Jury Award for Best Documentary)
One World Festival (Václav Havel Jury Award)
Heartland International Film Festival
Portland Film Festival
Trinidad + Tobago Film Festival
Seattle Latino Film Festival
Toronto Latin American Film Festival
San Francisco Latino Film Festival
Houston Latino Film Festival
Belfast Film Festival
Key West Film Festival
Flagler Film Festival
Muestra Internacional Documental de Bogota
Saarbrücken Latino Film Fest
Festival Internacional de Cine el Ojo Cojo
Valéncia Indie Film Festival
University Film and Video Association (Best Documentary Award)

PRESS

Overly Honest Movie Reviews Feb 27 2023
A Story That You Won't Believe

Golden Globes Feb 25 2023
"Strangers to Peace" Showcases Difficulties of Deprogramming Violence

El Espectador Feb 18 2023
La cinta "Ajenos a la paz" ahonda en el presente y pasado de excombatientes farianos

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 proceso de paz

AL DÍA March 4 2022
Ten Latino Movies to Watch at the Miami Film Festival

PUBLICITY MATERIALS AND CONTACT

Press Kit | Poster | Contact: noahdebonis[at]gmail.com

CREDITS

Directors  Laura Àngel - Noah DeBonis
Writers  Laura Àngel - Noah DeBonis - Matthew Cohn - Ricardo Acosta - Colleen O'Brien
Directors of Photography  Rajiv Smith-Mahabir - Laura Àngel
Producers  Laura Àngel - Noah DeBonis - Colleen O'Brien
Co-Producers  Rajiv Smith-Mahabir - Margaret Cardillo
Editor  Matthew Cohn
Advising Editors  Ricardo Acosta - Andrea Cignoli
Executive Producer  Noah DeBonis
Music Composer  Nascuy Linares
Sound Design/Post Production Coordinator  Jorge Fernandez
Colorist Anthony Tocchio
Associate Producers  Pivote Cine - Leilani Gushiken - L.A. Strucke - Jules M. Vanfau
Communications/Grants  Giulio Rocca

WITH SUPPORT FROM

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
Casa Museo de Memoria

DONATE

Make a donation through our fiscal sponsor, the Center for Independent Documentary.

PHOTOS