They Killed Sister Dorothy
Encyclopedia
They Killed Sister Dorothy is a 2008 documentary film
about American
-born Brazil
ian nun
Dorothy Stang
, who was murdered on February 12, 2005, in Anapu, a city located in the Amazon Rainforest
. Directed by Daniel Junge, the film is narrated by Martin Sheen
in the English
version and by Wagner Moura
in the Portuguese
version.
, native Dorothy Mae Stang, a 73-year-old nun
of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur
order
who fought for the preservation of the Amazon Rainforest in the Brazilian state of Pará
. It also follows the trial of those convicted for murdering Stang.
, where it had its worldwide premiere. In Brazil, where the film title received a literal translation, it premiered at the 2007 Rio de Janeiro Film Festival. It was also screened at the 32nd São Paulo International Film Fesival. It is planned to receive a nationwide release on February 13, 2009.
The film and its song "Forever", written and performed by Bebel Gilberto
, daughter of Bossa Nova
pioneer João Gilberto
, were pre-selected for the Academy Awards for Best Documentary Feature and Best Original Song
, respectively.
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
about American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
-born Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
Dorothy Stang
Dorothy Stang
Sister Dorothy Mae Stang, S.N.D., was an American-born, Brazilian member of the Congregation of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. She was murdered in Anapu, a city in the state of Pará, in the Amazon Basin of Brazil...
, who was murdered on February 12, 2005, in Anapu, a city located in the Amazon Rainforest
Amazon Rainforest
The Amazon Rainforest , also known in English as Amazonia or the Amazon Jungle, is a moist broadleaf forest that covers most of the Amazon Basin of South America...
. Directed by Daniel Junge, the film is narrated by Martin Sheen
Martin Sheen
Ramón Gerardo Antonio Estévez , better known by his stage name Martin Sheen, is an American film actor best known for his performances in the films Badlands and Apocalypse Now , and in the television series The West Wing from 1999 to 2006.He is considered one of the best actors never to be...
in the English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
version and by Wagner Moura
Wagner Moura
Wagner Maniçoba Moura is a Brazilian film, television and stage actor. Moura graduated in journalism at Universidade Federal da Bahia but decided to become an actor....
in the Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
version.
Plot
The film traces the reasons of the murder of Dayton, OhioDayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
, native Dorothy Mae Stang, a 73-year-old nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur
Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur
The Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, is the name of a Roman Catholic order of religious sisters, dedicated to providing education to the poor.The order was founded in Amiens in 1803, but the opposition of the local bishop to missions outside his diocese led to the moving of headquarters to then...
order
Religious order
A religious order is a lineage of communities and organizations of people who live in some way set apart from society in accordance with their specific religious devotion, usually characterized by the principles of its founder's religious practice. The order is composed of initiates and, in some...
who fought for the preservation of the Amazon Rainforest in the Brazilian state of Pará
Pará
Pará is a state in the north of Brazil. It borders the Brazilian states of Amapá, Maranhão, Tocantins, Mato Grosso, Amazonas and Roraima. To the northwest it also borders Guyana and Suriname, and to the northeast it borders the Atlantic Ocean. The capital is Belém.Pará is the most populous state...
. It also follows the trial of those convicted for murdering Stang.
Release and awards
The film received the Audience Award and the Competition Award at the 2008 South by Southwest FestivalSouth by Southwest
South by Southwest is an Austin, Texas based company dedicated to planning conferences, trade shows, festivals and other events. Their current roster of annual events include: SXSW Music, SXSW Film, SXSW Interactive, SXSWedu, and SXSWeco and take place every spring in Austin, Texas, United States...
, where it had its worldwide premiere. In Brazil, where the film title received a literal translation, it premiered at the 2007 Rio de Janeiro Film Festival. It was also screened at the 32nd São Paulo International Film Fesival. It is planned to receive a nationwide release on February 13, 2009.
The film and its song "Forever", written and performed by Bebel Gilberto
Bebel Gilberto
Bebel Gilberto is a Brazilian popular singer often associated with bossa nova. She is the daughter of João Gilberto and singer Miúcha. Her uncle is singer/composer Chico Buarque...
, daughter of Bossa Nova
Bossa Nova
Bossa Nova may refer to:*Bossa nova, a style of music*Bossa Nova , a dance form associated with the music*Bossa Nova , a 2000 film*Bossa Nova - album by John Pizzarelli...
pioneer João Gilberto
João Gilberto
João Gilberto Prado Pereira de Oliveira, known as João Gilberto , is a Brazilian singer and guitarist. His seminal recordings, including many songs by Antônio Carlos Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes, established the new musical genre of Bossa nova in the late 1950s.-Biography:From an early age, music...
, were pre-selected for the Academy Awards for Best Documentary Feature and Best Original Song
Academy Award for Best Original Song
The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . It is presented to the songwriters who have composed the best original song written specifically for a film...
, respectively.
External links
- Official website
- Who Killed Sister Dorothy? - NOW on PBS