Setting the Record Straight (original) (raw)
Posted at 13:53h in Journal
There are several erroneous facts being published and republished in the mainstream media, and on social network sites and Wikipedia about me and my films. In my statement of our preliminary investigation into Batzul, dated June 9, 2014, I did not say that we were going to re-edit “When the Mountains Tremble”, and “Granito”. I wrote that, “We intend to make a correction that will clarify what happened in this scene.” What we will do is put a sticker on every single DVD explaining what we discovered in 2014 happened in the Batzul scene we filmed in 1982. We will place a title card with the same explanation at the head or attached to the films’ streams on digital platforms. In addition, we are editing a short film shot in Batzul in 2014 with what we now know to be the true story. This short film will be accessible free online in English and Spanish.
The other factual error is “Skylight Pictures produced two Guatemala based films prior to the making of When the Mountains Tremble. The first called Central America in Revolt and another hour episode of CBS reports called Guatemala.” I was hired as a sound recordist and associate producer on these two reports that were produced by CBS News, not Skylight Pictures. CBS News did not acquire films from independent filmmakers in 1982, nor do I know of them doing so now.
Pamela Yates
Pamela Yates is an award-winning film director and the co-founder of Skylight, a not-for-profit media organization that for over 35 years has combined cinematic arts with the quest for justice to inspire the defense of human rights. Skylight’s films and programs strengthen social justice movements and catalyze collaborative networks of artists and activists.