They Killed Sister Dorothy

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They Killed Sister Dorothy
They Killed Sister Dorothy VideoCover.png
Directed by Daniel Junge
Produced byHenry Ansbacher
Nigel Noble
Marcela Bourseau
Gustavo Gelmini
Starring Martin Sheen (narrator)
David Stang
Becky Spires
Dorothy Stang (footage)
CinematographyMarcela Bourseau
Edited byDavis Coombe
Music bybaban escobar
Distributed by Home Box Office
Release date
  • March 9, 2008 (2008-03-09)(SXSW)
Running time
94 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguagesEnglish
Portuguese

They Killed Sister Dorothy is a 2008 American documentary film directed by Daniel Junge about Dorothy Stang, an American-born Brazilian nun who was murdered on February 12, 2005, in Anapu, a city located in the Amazon Rainforest.

Contents

The film is narrated by Martin Sheen in the English version and by Wagner Moura in the Portuguese version.

Synopsis

The film examines the motives for the murder of Dayton, Ohio 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.

Release and awards

The film received the Audience Award and the Competition Award at the 2008 South by Southwest Festival, 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 Festival. 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.


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