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Who are we?
My name is Paula Cuellar, Cuellar, assistant professor of history and Fellow, Jacqueline and Michael Wald Professorship in Human Rights, Genocide and Holocaust Studies in the Ackerman Center for Holocaust Studies. My doctorate from the University of Minnesota is in history major and human rights minor. Specifically, I focus on modern and contemporary history of Latin America, as well as in violence perpetrated in the region during the 20th and 21st centuries.
As a result of my commitment to social justice, and as a woman from El Salvador working in academia in the U.S., I am devoted to sharing my findings through multiple formats and prioritizing accessibility, particularly to those persons whose stories constitute the cornerstone of my research. That is why I try to bring together multiple disciplines when conducting my work and that is where I have found an ally in filmmaker Julio López Fernández.
Julio López Fernández is film director and cinematographic producer, of Mexican Salvadoran nationality. As director, his first feature film is the documentary “La Batalla del Volcán / The Battle of the Volcano” (2018) and his most recent documentary is “Añil / Indigo” (2023). Among his filmography as a producer, stands up “El Cuarto de los Huesos / The Room of Bones” (2015), “Los Ofendidos / The Offended” (2016), directed by Marcela Zamora; “Heredera del Viento / Heiress of the Wind” (2017), directed by Gloria Carrión; and the short film “Ausencias / Absences” (2015), directed by Tatiana Huezo. All these films have been premiered or awarded at numerous international festivals.
What is our mission?
Our mission is to connect academia with the arts to make information more accessible to people who do not have access to these spaces, thereby democratizing knowledge. This approach bridges the gap between scholarly research and creative expression, enabling a wider audience to engage with important ideas and issues that may otherwise remain confined to academic circles. By integrating these two fields, we attempt to make sure that knowledge reaches and resonates with a broader, more diverse public, empowering communities that are often excluded from traditional academic institutions.
In 2022, we partnered to give life to “Añil / Indigo” (2023), based on my book manuscript titled “Salvadoran Women Speak: Female Accounts of Their Struggle Within a Revolution, 1980-1992.” This United Nations Development Program (UNDP) sponsored film was internationally premiered in Mexico in August 2023, as part of the film festival MICGénero 2023. This film was the “Official Selection” to represent El Salvador at the XXVI Ícaro International Film Festival in Central America where it was awarded as the “Best Central American Documentary.” Additionally, it has won the “Best Documentary” in the 40th Chicago Latino Film Festival and the “Best War Theme Film” in the Berlin Indie Film Festival 2024. Furthermore, it has been part of the “Official Selection” in different film festivals, such as the 2024 AFI Latin American Film Festival 2024 and the 2024 Latin American Film Festival in Toronto.
What is our project?
Building on the success of our first collaboration, which helped bring academic research to a broader audience and started an important conversation in post-conflict societies, we have decided to team up again for a second film. This time, our project will focus on the lasting effects of the Salvadoran armed conflict on children who were born or grew up during that time, exploring how the conflict has impacted their lives across generations.
In other words, this study seeks to challenge one of the main goals of the disciplines which study how countries deal with a past plagued of human rights violations in the aftermath of a violent conflict, which is reconciliation. With this project we will explore a broader question: Is it possible to reconcile deeply polarized societies in the aftermath of dictatorships, armed conflicts or periods of extreme violence when familial relationships remain unresolved?
In the screenplay, we will creatively present the testimonies and the dramatic arc of the stories by blending reality with fiction through carefully crafted sequences. The main thread that ties these stories together will be Egly Larreynaga, a renowned Salvadoran actress who is herself the daughter of political activists from the 1980s in El Salvador. She will guide us through the experiences of each of the daughters featured in the documentary, serving as the storyteller who connects all their powerful stories.
What is our goal?
Our goal with this crowdfunding campaign is to raise $5,000 to support our team in conducting research and developing a screenplay for our second film, which focuses on memory and armed conflicts. With your generous contributions, we aim to raise awareness about the lasting impacts of armed conflicts on future generations and highlight the vital role of the Ackerman Center as a place of memory and resilience. Your support will help us bring this important project to life and foster deeper understanding of these critical issues which, unfortunately, often go unacknowledged in post-conflict societies and are among the various underlying causes of violence in the present.
Why is it important?
“Indigo” has helped spark an important conversation in Salvadoran society about the sexual violence women and girls faced during the armed conflict, as well as in other Latin American countries where the film has been screened and which have experienced political turmoil in its recent past. The film is encouraging people to talk more openly, especially about the abuse that guerrilla forces inflicted on their own members. By shedding light on these often-ignored stories, the film is helping to break the silence and get people to reflect on these painful experiences.
Like “Indigo,” we expect that the results of this project will have implications for cases beyond El Salvador, particularly in transitional justice contexts around the world. If one of the main objectives of transitional processes is to foster profound societal reconciliation, it becomes imperative that these processes start by reconstituting the foundational layers of society: the family. Lifting the veil of silence within familial units is of paramount importance for these processes to succeed. Truth, justice and reparations resonate not only at the societal level but are intrinsically tied to interpersonal dynamics as well. The conflicts in Central America resulted in the profound disintegration of the societal fabric, with families at the epicenter. Within these contexts, children emerged as a notably silent, yet deeply affected, demographic.
Final remarks:
Without your support, we will not be able to carry out the research and write the screenplay that will form the foundation of our new film. In this regard, we are deeply grateful for your generosity, which enables us to create a platform where marginalized voices can be heard. Thank you for your contributions and for helping make this important work possible.
Giving menu:
Our goal with this crowdfunding campaign is to raise $5,000 to support our team in conducting research and developing a screenplay for our second film. With your generous support, we will be able to cover the following expenses:
Stretch goals:
If we manage to exceed our $5,000 goal, we will be able to edit a teaser for our new film. The teaser will be edited using video material collected during the research phase.
Additionally, we will be able to complete the film’s development process by preparing the production folder. This will be based on the script and will outline the budget, shooting schedule, timeline and full project funding plan. It will also include the graphic design elements (poster, typography, illustrations).
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