"Granito"...Why the Filmmakers want it Bootlegged?

"We sold the movie to the biggest bootlegger there is in Guatemala...because we WANT people to see it"
--Pamela Yates

When the filmmakers are encouraging their own documentary to be bootlegged -- you know they are not in it for the money, but they are in it for the spreading of a message. "Granito: How to Nail a Dictator" is a documentary that was almost accidental. The first film that Pamela Yates made on Guatemala was called, When the Mountains Tremble. Essentially this documentary provided the outtakes that would eventually become the necessary "grain of sand" to "tip the scales of justice" for indicting a human rights villain. The villain, Dictator Efraín Rios Montt, knowingly ordered genocide on the indigenous people of Guatemala despite his adamant denial.

After watching the documentary, I could not help but be stunned at the courage of the filmmakers, particularly Pamela Yates. She put her life on the line for years in hopes of exposing an injustice and working towards change. Without the bravery of leaders like her, our world would be a very stagnant place. Progress is simple not automatic or instantaneous. We all have someone to thank for the freedoms that we enjoy today and for this we have to do our part for those who still lack the basic human rights. Films like this opens our eyes to a world that is not filled with free education, homes, and SUVs -- in fact, if you have any of the above you are more fortunate than the majority of the world. Injustice exists and we need to look it straight in the eye…just as these filmmakers concentrated on the head of the “nail” that eventually led to decades of overdue justice for a dictator.