Books and Films
Films :
Granito
Pamela Yates 2011
Documenting the history of the genocide, through a timeline spanning past and present day, Granito adapts elements of a thriller and memoir to depict the atrocities of the dictator.
500 years
Pamela Yates 2017
From a historic genocide trial to the overthrow of a dictator, 500 Years recounts a sweeping story of mounting resistance played out in Guatemala’s recent history. Through the actions and perspectives of the majority indigenous Mayan population, the film depicts these strong individuals standing poised to reimagine their society.
When the Mountains Tremble
Pamela Yates 1983
Capturing the height of the Guatemalan Army's repression against the Mayan indigenous people, the film has become a classic political documentary. It describes the struggle of the largely Indian peasantry against a heritage of state and foreign oppression. Centered on the experiences of Rigoberta Menchú, who later became a Nobel Peace laureate, the film is notably exhilarating. With clarity and energy, it conveys the birth of a national and political awareness.
The Echo of Pain of the Many
Ana Lucia Cuevas 2011
A documentary about a Latin American woman returning from her exile to the still dangerous and politically-askew Guatemala.
Finding Oscar
Ryan Suffern 2016
Documents a young boy who survived a massacre during the Guatemalan civil war, only to be raised by one of the soldiers who killed his family. Set 30 years after the tragedy, the film follows a team of individuals seeking to "uncover the truth and bring justice to those responsible."
Books:
Guatemala : Eternal Spring, Eternal Tyranny
Jean-Marie Simon 1988
A photo essay book that features the narratives of those affected by the genocide, especially the Mayan Indians, and who are now encountering trauma from the severe violence and terror that had suffocated the lives they had known.
Paper Cadavers: The Archives of Dictatorship in Guatemala
Kirsten Weld 2014
"Tracing the history of the police files as they were transformed from weapons of counterinsurgency into tools for post-conflict reckoning, Weld sheds light on the country's fraught transition from war to an uneasy peace, reflecting on how societies forget and remember political violence."
Popular Injustice: Violence, Community, and Law in Latin America
Angelina Snodgrass Godoy 200
Analysis of “mob killings” that occurred during the armed conflict in Guatemala.