LA PRENDA is coming home

 You make documentary films for nights like these. On April 19 2018, LA PRENDA screened in the magnificent auditorium of the Mexican embassy in Guatemala City. This special screening took place in the context of the FIFDH Human Rights Festival on Tour to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.  After an incredible festival run that started in 2015 at Hot Docs and at the Guadalajara Film Festival, LA PRENDA came home. We missed Astrid, one of the protagonists who lives in Los Angeles, Kelly's family and Micaela's family. But Karin and Rodolfo, 2 of the main protagonists of the film, spoke for them.

Kelly Diaz Reyes was kidnapped and killed in March 2011. 

Astrid Elias in La Prenda.

They shared the stage with Supreme Court judge Maria Eugenia Morales Aceña during one of the best Q&A the film ever had. LA PRENDA sparked discussions at the highest level of Guatemalan justice system. The protagonists' quest for justice impressed Justice Morales Aceña. "The film teaches me about the life of the children is a "prenda" (a jewel)", she said after watching LA PRENDA. "It is so precious that we have to defend it. The most important thing is to try to prevent these cases". 

Supreme Court judge Maria Eugenia Morales Aceña at the Q&A for LA PRENDA with Sobrevivientes lawyer Rodolfo Diaz and Karin Gramajo Lopez. Guatemala City, April 19, 2018.

Swiss ambassador Hans-Ruedi Bortis presenting LA PRENDA on April 19, 2018, in Guatemala City.

In Kelly Diaz Reyes' case, justice hasn't been achieved yet. The teenager was kidnapped and  killed 7 years ago but her family is still fighting with the lawyer Rodolfo Diaz and the Sobrevivientes Foundation to make sure the convicted murderers are not released prematurely. A visit to the "Casa de la Memoria" (House of remembrance) in Guatemala City is a powerful reminder that these cases keep happening and that people keep disappearing.

Nights like these inspire you to keep going and to keep hustling to make films that matter. Because ultimately, you get to meet courageous people like Karin, Astrid, Rodolfo, Norma Cruz, Fernando Carac Saquic, Hortensia Reyes, Don Chepe, who trust you with their story. LA PRENDA was our attempt to make it shine and to make sure it is not lost on anybody who watches the film. That is why it was such an honor to receive last night the Icaro best documentary award the film had won in 2015 when it first screened in Guatemala.  It is hard to measure the real impact of a film but this award means that the voices of Karin, Astrid, Kelly, Fernando and all the other protagonists of LA PRENDA have been heard in their own country. 

Jean-Cosme, the director of La Prenda, with Karin Gramajo Lopez, Rodolfo Diaz, Maria José Gramajo and 4-year-old Maria Fernanda Gramajo

Tears and prayers are not enough - Editorial

Here is my latest editorial for the Tribune de Genève on the March for our Lives in Washington D.C. It went with this story. In Washington, I was fortunate to meet with Jason Kaplan, the father of twin girls who survived the Parkland shooting. Molly and her sister Rebecca were hiding in a closet during the shooting. They emailed their dad to tell him how scared they were. Jason came from Parkland, FL, to Washington D.C. last Saturday to say that he wanted change. 

Historic March for our Lives in Washington DC

Here is my story on the historic March for our Lives in Washington DC today. It ran in the Swiss newspapers 24 Heures and Tribune de Genève.

Discover the new trailer of Stray Bullet

It was months in the making but here it is! We rae happy to share the new trailer of Stray Bullet, Jean-Cosme Delaloye's new feature documentary about the killing of 12-year-old Genesis Rincon in 2014 in the streets of Paterson, NJ. The film will be realeased in the U.S. soon!

Thanks to our friends at Wheelhouse Creative for their work on this trailer.

LA PRENDA (THE PAWN) at the Tolerance Film Festival in Slovenia

My film LA PRENDA (THE PAWN) about the kidnapping and rape of young women in Guatemala is screening today at the Tolerance Film Festival in Slovenia almost 3 years after its World Premiere at Hot Docs. The next screening is scheduled on April 12 at the Swiss embassy in Guatemala City in the context of the FIFDH human rights festival world tour. 

Donald Trump criticizes Robert Mueller

Here is my latest story for the Tribune de Genève and 24 Heures on the Russia investigation. It came out today in both newspapers [in French]. It tells the story behind the firing of former FBI Deputy Director, Andrew McCabe. 

Contrasts

In the past couple of days, we were shooting 2 scenes for our new feature documentary. And the contrast could not have been bigger. On Wednesday night, we spent time with Scott, a Johnny Cash fan with a disability. Scott is a tender and loving soul. He was celebrating St Patrick's Day with about 200 people living with disabilities.  

Scott. Clifton, NJ, March 15, 2018

Today, we interviewed Leslie, a bodybuilding champ from Colombia who attended Scott's party. The contrast between those 2 scenes is the essence of our new film. Get ready for unconventional storylines, complex characters and an intriguing plot. Days like these make the struggles inevitably linked with filmmaking, really worth it.  

Leslie. Wayne, NJ, March 15, 2018.

Waiting for a verdict outside a Paterson courtroom

For the past several weeks, I have spent a lot of time shooting in a trial Paterson courtroom and then waiting outside that same courtroom for the verdict. While waiting for it, I was able to capture the life on the bench next to the courtroom's door. I saw people waiting to go in for their court appearance, relatives and a lawyer waiting for a verdict, children waiting for their mom while she was in court. Here are a few snapshots taken in February.

Stray Bullet in the media

Stray Bullet had its Swiss premiere last month at the renowned Solothurner Filmtage festival in Switzerland and was featured in the Swiss daily newspapers 24 Heures and Tribune de Genève.

Page from 24 Heures on January 27, 2018.

Page from the Tribune de Genève on January 27, 2018

Covering Irma

Irma is gone. I am sitting in a cool airport lounge after 4 days without power and 3 without running water. Every time a hurricane hits, you realize how fragile US cities really are. The neighborhood where I was staying was flooded as it was next to the Intercoastal Waterway. We lost power 24 hours before Irma even hit Miami and Internet went out quickly after the win gusts starting punching the city hard. Staying outside was almost impossible. And inside, you could feel the building shaking. As I was outside, I met Andre, a homeless man who was trying to find shelter. Hi face was tatted and you could see in his tired eyes that he had a long and complicated story. When I asked him why he hadn't gone to a shelter, he responded: "The police is not my family". I am wondering whether his family even knew where he was or whether this man had any ties outside his homeless word which seemed to comprise only a few blocks of Biscayne Boulevard. I saw him after the storm walking up and down Biscayne Boulevard. As people were looking for gas, cold water or hot food in powerless Miami, Andre was looking for a cigarette. He had made it past the storm. No it was all about facing the prospect of making it past another day on the streets of Miami.

Welcome to our new website

JCDe Productions is proud to launch its new website. On this blog, we will document what it takes to make an independent documentary film and provide behind the scenes insight into our stories. Don't hesitate to get in touch!