#11 in this series...
Daniel Junge's THEY KILLED SISTER DOROTHY premiered ten months ago at the SXSW Film Festival, taking Austin by storm and winning both the jury and audience awards. Just a couple of weeks later, his previous film, IRON LADIES OF LIBERIA (which had premiered at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival) took the top prize at AFI Dallas, capping a rare Texas documentary sweep.
After SXSW, DOROTHY was acquired by HBO, which will broadcast the film this year, and was shortlisted for the Academy Award. The film is also currently in the news, as prosecutors in Brazil have re-opened the case against a rancher tied to Sister Dorothy's murder based on evidence presented in the film. (Shades of ROMAN POLANSKI...)
In this exchange, Daniel (who is, full disclosure, one of the filmmakers involved in the CONVENTION project) talks about gaining access to both sides of a dramatic trial in the Amazon, the power of a great nonfiction character and working the festival circuit with two acclaimed films simultaneously.
ATWT: Watching THEY KILLED SISTER DOROTHY, I was reminded of IRON LADIES and one of the things that really impressed me with that film, which was the amazing level of access that you had. You are behind the scenes with both the prosecutors in the trial of Dorothy's murderers as well as the defense team. How did you gain the trust of both sides of this case to allow your cameras to follow them?
Daniel Junge: While I believe SISTER DOROTHY is more cinematic than IRON LADIES, it’s true that they both benefit from unprecedented access. I think people are most surprised by our access to the defense team, and, in fact, at times I myself was surprised by their candor. I think their bravado is indicative of the power structure that exists in the Amazon and ultimately which led to Dorothy's death. Ironically, it was access to Dorothy's side of the story which was actually a more difficult and constant negotiation, which I think speaks to the stakes and what they have to lose.
The lead defense attorney, Americo Leal, is an amazing nonfiction character. He really could have a film all to himself. What were your impressions onmeeting him, particularly in that he's at least nominally the villain in the last act of the film.
If you wrote Americo Leal as a fiction character he would be unbelievable. The first day I met him I asked if we could him film him at work doing rudimentary office things, and he said, "No. Today, I'm going to the forest to ride my Harley Davidson. Do you want to film me doing that?" It was at that moment I knew we had a great character and in fact a film! I would like to react to some of the words that reviewers have used for Americo, including "villain" and "evil." I think it's important to point out Americo is a lawyer (and a very good one) and ultimately an actor. Furthermore, as Sister Becky points out, half of the outrageous things he says are true. If people walk away from our film with only the portrait of a sweet nun and some evil men then I've done this story a great disservice. Because ultimately it has to be about the systemic failures which are leading to the destruction of the forest and loss of human life in the Amazon.
There've been recent news stories about recent arrests in the case that were apparently brought about by prosecutors watching your film. I asked Marina Zenovich recently about her reaction to the new developments in the Polanski case, and I'm curious what your response has been to this recent news.
We were happy to hear the recent news, but surprised by it. The prosecution always attested they had enough evidence against Regivaldo to keep him in jail. I think perhaps its the momentum of our film as much as anything that could be affecting the trajectory of the case. Of course as documentary filmmakers, there's nothing more gratifying than hearing your work has made a tangible difference in the world -- even more so than the Oscar shortlist and other kudos we've been fortunate to receive.
Talk about your experience at SXSW, where you had your world premiere and you won both the jury and audience awards.
We were very deflated when we didn't get into a certain January festival. But Matt at SXSW had such enthusiasm and then winning both awards solidified our sale with HBO. So suffice it to say it was a great experience for us (not to mention a great time!). As you've written yourself, this year SXSW and other festivals became launching points for Oscar-contending films, so hopefully this bodes well for other filmmakers who are passed over by their first choice for premiere.
DOROTHY premiered at SXSW just 7 months after IRON LADIES had its first screening in Toronto. I'm curious what that was like, especially considering that you had IRON LADIES at the AFI Dallas Film Festival - where it won the jury prize - just a couple weeks after you'd won for DOROTHY in Austin.
Basically 2006 and 2007 were two crazy years for us. Our energy and resources were already dedicated to "Sister Dorothy," which really was my passion project, but during its production, in addition to making two shorts that are now on the festival circuit (COME BACK TO SUDAN and NO STRINGS) we got the opportunity to film with Africa's first female president and it simply had to be done. So with many 80-plus hour weeks, we were able to bring all the ships into port successfully and thankfully with some wonderful recognition. I must say it's a little confusing at times, though... More than once I've caught myself talking about the wrong project with people!
Previous interviews:
James Marsh (MAN ON WIRE)
Carl Deal and Tia Lessin (TROUBLE THE WATER)
Jeremiah Zagar (IN A DREAM)
Yung Chang (UP THE YANGTZE)
Patrick Creadon (I.O.U.S.A.)
Margaret Brown (THE ORDER OF MYTHS)
Marina Zenovich (ROMAN POLANSKI: WANTED AND DESIRED)
Ellen Kuras (THE BETRAYAL (NERAKHOON))
Darius Marder (LOOT)
Scott Kennedy (THE GARDEN)
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