War Don Don

Documentary Feature,
Documentary Competition
D: Rebecca Richman Cohen

Issa Sesay is a convicted war criminal. The tragically small number of Westerners who followed the 11 years of blood-soaked revolution in the African state of Sierra Leone know that, and it’s the first fact presented in this measured analysis of Sesay’s five-year trial. Filming from behind bullet-proof glass in the Special Court for Sierra Leone, lawyer-turned-filmmaker Cohen eschews any graphic “war porn” footage. She also steers clear of deciding whether Sesay was guilty or not. Instead, she explores the trial as a philosophical battle over international justice. On one side are the prosecutors, who admit they must “dance with the devil” to get the justice they seek; on the other, defense attorneys whose quest for mitigating circumstances becomes clouded by their relationship with their client. Yet most powerful are all the voices of mutilated and murdered victims of war.

Saturday, March 20, 1:45pm, Ritz 2

This article appears in March 19 • 2010.

A note to readers: Bold and uncensored, The Austin Chronicle has been Austin’s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community’s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands.

SUPPORT US

The Chronicle's first Culture Desk editor, Richard has reported on Austin's growing film production and appreciation scene for over a decade. A graduate of the universities of York, Stirling, and UT-Austin, a Rotten Tomatoes certified critic, and eight-time Best of Austin winner, he's currently at work on two books and a play.