Grand Prix Competition
World Premiere

STATE OF FEAR




Pamela Yates

Country of production: USA, Peru
Year: 2005
Language: English, Spanish
Mins: 94

Production company: Skylight Pictures
Producers: Paco de Onis
Script: Paco de Onis, Peter Kinoy, Pamela Yates
Cinematography: Juan Duran
Editing: Peter Kinoy
Sound: Francisco Adrianzen
Music: Tito La Rosa, Tavo Castillo

Source: Films Transit International
252 Boulevard Gouin Est
Montreal, Quebec H3L 1A8, Canada
Tel: +1 514 844 3358
Fax: +1 514 844 7298
e-mail: office@filmstransit.com
www.filmstransit.com


How can an open society balance demands for security with democracy? State of Fear dramatizes the human and societal costs a democracy faces when it embarks on a “war” against terror, a “war” potentially without end, all too easily exploited by unscrupulous leaders seeking personal political gain. The film follows events in Peru, yet it serves as a cautionary tale for a nation like the United States. Director Pamela Yates masterfully blends personal testimony, history and archival footage to tell the story of escalating violence in the Andean nation and how the fear of terror undermined the democracy, making Peru a virtual dictatorship where official corruption replaced the rule of law. Terrorist attacks by the Shining Path guerrillas provoked a military occupation of the countryside. Military justice replaced civil authority, widespread abuses by the Peruvian Army went unpunished, and the terrorism continued to spread. Eventually over 60,000 civilians died at the hands of the Shining Path and the Peruvian military.



Pamela Yates has dedicated her life to social issue storytelling, bringing unreported and unseen realities to audiences all over the world. Her first documentary When the Mountains Tremble, filmed in Guatemala in 1981-82, played in cinemas all over the States, and in 25 countries in Europe, Latin America and Asia, and won a Special Jury Award at the Sundance FF. She has a history of filmmaking in Latin America including Cause for Murder (Mexico, 2002), Nicaragua: Report From the Front (Nicaragua, 1983), the Academy Award winning Witness to War (El Salvador, 1985) of which she was the executive producer, Teatro (Honduras, 1987). She is one of the founders, and President of a NewYork-based Skylight Pictures.

TUESDAY, APRIL 5, 2005 AT 3.00 PM. / GALLERY THEATRE
THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2005 AT 7.30 PM. / BEVERLY ARTS CENTER
FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 2005 AT 6.00 PM. / CHOPIN THEATRE

TUESDAY, APRIL 12, 2005 AT 9.00 PM. / GALLERY THEATRE