Meet the People Behind Granito: How to Nail a Dictator

The ITVS funded documentary by filmmaker Pamela Yates premieres Thursday, June 28 on POV. See all the people behind the making of and in the story of Granito: How to Nail a Dictator in these stunning photographs by renowned portraitist Dana Lixenberg.

Granito is a story of destinies joined by Guatemala’s past and how a documentary film from 1982, When the Mountains Tremble, becomes forensic evidence to help prove a genocide case against a military dictator. In Granito, the characters sift for clues buried in archives of mind and place and historical memory, seeking to uncover a narrative that could unlock the past and settle matters of life and death in the present. Like a crime thriller where the narrative is revealed step by step, this epic film travels between present and past, uncovering evidence of massive crimes and bringing accountability to the present.

A companion project, Granito: Every Memory Matters (GMEM) has been created as an intergenerational, interactive public archive of memories intended to expose further the history of the Guatemalan genocide. GMEM aims to harness the power of storytelling and create an exchange that awakens and restores the collective memory of Guatemala's recent past, which claimed the lives of more than 200,000 people, 45,000 of whom were "disappeared." Join the individuals around the world who are sharing their memories related to Guatemala in the form of videos, art, music, photographs, and audio recordings. These memories will then form a collective narrative that will combat el olvido – the purposeful forgetting that bolsters a culture of impunity. You can submit your own memory here. Granito: How to Nail a Dictator will premiere on POV on PBS, Thursday, June 28 (check local listings). NOTE: POV is inviting viewers to host their own "premiere party" to watch and discuss Granito. Find out more about those events, here.