Long Night’s Journey Into Day

Description

Academy Award Nominee for Documentary Feature
Independent Spirit Award Nomination
Director’s Guild of America Nomination for Best Documentary
National Emmy Award Nomination
Grand Jury Prize Award – Sundance Film Festival
Winner of the Peace Prize – Berlin Film Festival
Berliner Zeitung Reader’s Jury Prize – Berlin Film Festival
Critics’ Prize for Best International Documentary – Hot Docs Film Festival

Synopsis

Frances Reid and Deborah Hoffmann reveal the raw soul of a society in their extraordinary documentary about South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). After the end of apartheid’s 40-year reign, South Africa was thrown into ethical turmoil when those who enforced its violent rule wanted amnesty for their crimes. In answer to these furious and conflicting desires, Bishop Desmond Tutu advocated a means of restoring the country’s damaged soul by telling and bearing witness to the truth, rather than turning to the sword for retribution. Hundreds of cases are filed to the TRC for review; LONG NIGHT’S JOURNEY follows four dramatically different cases that came before the commission over the course of two and a half years. Broadcast premiere was on HBO in 2001.

Director

Deborah Hoffman has worked in the San Francisco Bay Area as a film and video editor for over 25 years, editing numerous internationally acclaimed documentaries. For her work on The Times Of Harvey Milk, she received a National Emmy, and the film received an Academy Award. Other documentaries she has edited include Marlon Riggs’ Peabody Award-winning Color Adjustment, National Emmy winners Ethnic Notions and Men Who Molest, and Academy Award winner Common Threads, in which she was one of three editors. With her partner Frances Reid, Deborah directed Long Night’s Journey Into Day: South Africa’s Search For Truth And Reconciliation. This feature documentary won the Grand Jury Award at Sundance and received an Oscar nomination as well as 20 other international awards.