State of Fear: The Truth about Terrorism
Encyclopedia
State of Fear: The Truth about Terrorism (2005) is a documentary film produced by Skylight Pictures
and directed by Pamela Yates
. It won the 2006 Overseas Press Club
Award for "Best Reporting in Any Medium on Latin America". It has been translated into 48 languages and broadcast in 157 countries.
Based on the findings of the Peru
vian Truth and Reconciliation Commission
, State of Fear uses personal testimony, history and archival footage to tell the story of escalating violence in Peru
, and how the fear of terrorism undermined democracy. In 2000, after President Alberto Fujimori
's regime collapsed under corruption scandals, the new government of Valentin Paniaqua established the Truth and Reconciliation Commission
to investigate atrocities that had resulted from the violence had engulfed Peru for twenty years through the 1980s and 1990s. The Truth Commission granted Skylight Pictures access to its extensive testimonial evidence as well as hundreds of hours of rarely seen archival material and thousands of photographs.
Skylight Pictures
Skylight Pictures is an independent documentary film company based in New York City founded by Pamela Yates, Peter Kinoy, and Paco de onis that has been making films for over 25 years...
and directed by Pamela Yates
Pamela Yates
Pamela Yates is an American documentary filmmaker and human rights activist. She has directed films about war crimes, racism, and genocide in the United States and Latin America, often with emphasis on the legal responses.-Biography:...
. It won the 2006 Overseas Press Club
Overseas Press Club
The Overseas Press Club of America was founded in 1939 in New York City by a group of foreign correspondents. The wire service reporter Carol Weld was a founding member...
Award for "Best Reporting in Any Medium on Latin America". It has been translated into 48 languages and broadcast in 157 countries.
Based on the findings of the Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
vian Truth and Reconciliation Commission
Truth and Reconciliation Commission (Peru)
The Peruvian Truth and Reconciliation Commission was established in 2001 after the fall of president Alberto Fujimori, to examine abuses committed during the 1980s and 1990s, when Peru was plagued by the worst political violence in the history of the republic...
, State of Fear uses personal testimony, history and archival footage to tell the story of escalating violence in Peru
Internal conflict in Peru
It has been estimated that nearly 70,000 people died in the internal conflict in Peru that started in 1980 and, although still ongoing, had greatly wound down by 2000. The principal actors in the war were the Shining Path , the Túpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement and the government of Peru.A great...
, and how the fear of terrorism undermined democracy. In 2000, after President Alberto Fujimori
Alberto Fujimori
Alberto Fujimori Fujimori served as President of Peru from 28 July 1990 to 17 November 2000. A controversial figure, Fujimori has been credited with the creation of Fujimorism, uprooting terrorism in Peru and restoring its macroeconomic stability, though his methods have drawn charges of...
's regime collapsed under corruption scandals, the new government of Valentin Paniaqua established the Truth and Reconciliation Commission
Truth and Reconciliation Commission
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission was a court-like restorative justice body assembled in South Africa after the abolition of apartheid. Witnesses who were identified as victims of gross human rights violations were invited to give statements about their experiences, and some were selected...
to investigate atrocities that had resulted from the violence had engulfed Peru for twenty years through the 1980s and 1990s. The Truth Commission granted Skylight Pictures access to its extensive testimonial evidence as well as hundreds of hours of rarely seen archival material and thousands of photographs.