STRANGERS TO PEACE
"...gives a human face to the FARC without sanitizing the guerilla movement's past actions."
-Film Threat

"...opens a necessary debate on the reintegration of former FARC members in Colombia."
-AL DÍA

"Poignant and powerful…a roller coaster of emotions."
-Overly Honest Movie Reviews

"...told through a very personal lens...its engaging rhythms and humanist point-of-view offer lessons..."
-Golden Globes

"Some of the most well-developed characters I have ever seen in a documentary...This film stays with you 
like few others."

-Tom Musca, Writer/Producer "Stand and Deliver"

"...a marvel of deeply humanistic storytelling."
-Gabriel Rhenals, Director "For My Sister"
After a lifetime of war, three former soldiers abandon Colombia's FARC guerrilla army. They now face anxiety and danger as they attempt to rebuild their lives in a homeland that sees them as terrorists.
SYNOPSIS
Three former soldiers face retribution, anxiety, and danger as they attempt to rebuild their lives after leaving the FARC guerrilla army and the bloody Colombian conflict. Strangers to Peace intimately captures the personal stories of Dayana, the market vendor navigating her new identity as a trans woman; Ricardo, the young father secretly clinging to his communist ideology; and Alexandra, the indigenous child soldier, who was forced to leave her family behind in the Amazon. Their stories are told through the lens of filmmaker Laura Àngel, who herself was a victim of FARC violence.
FILMMAKERS
Laura Angel
Director/Producer: Laura Àngel
Laura is an award-winning Colombian filmmaker and screenwriter. She has produced several short films including the internationally recognized Gallo (2014) and El instructivo del buitre (2014), winner of The 48-Hour Film Project Bogotá. Her latest film, Pichirilo (2016), was an official selection at the 2016 Bogotá Short Film Festival. She is a graduate of the Politécnico Grancolombiano, where she majored in media studies.
Noah Debonis
Director/Producer: Noah DeBonis
Noah was born in the Philippines, raised in Japan, lived in Colombia, and now calls Los Angeles home. His work as a Director and Editor has been featured on Netflix, Amazon, BBC America, Spotify, CBS, CNBC, The Smithsonian, and more. Strangers to Peace, which he is directing alongside his wife Laura Ángel Rengifo, is his first feature film and has been supported by the Sundance Institute. His short film Posthumous (2014) won a College Emmy Award. He is currently editing the Netflix documentary series Last Chance U.

Colleen Alena O'Brien
Producer: Colleen Alena O'Brien
Colleen studies indigenous languages and cultures in Colombia. Her work focuses on linguistic description and language documentation while incorporating ethnographic filmmaking into her projects. She holds a Ph.D. in Linguistics from the University of Hawai'i and degrees in Classics and Anthropology from the University of Miami. She has presented at international conferences and is currently writing a book about the reintegration of ex-FARC combatants as a postdoctoral researcher at the Jena Center for Reconciliation Studies.
Co-Producer: Margaret Cardillo
Margaret Cardillo is a screenwriter, professor, and children’s book author. She holds degrees from Boston College and the University of Miami. Margaret’s writing for the screen won a College Television Award and received several Best of Fest awards and has placed her in many festivals around the country. Her children’s books have taken her to schools and events worldwide and have won several awards. Her first book on Audrey Hepburn has been optioned for the screen. A former book editor, Margaret now teaches screenwriting at the University of Miami. 
SCREENINGS / AWARDS
PRESS
Overly Honest Movie Reviews  Feb 27 2023
A Story That You Won't Believe

Golden Globes  Feb 25 2023
"Strangers to Peace" Showcases Difficulties of Deprogramming Violence
El Espectador Feb 18 2023
La cinta "Ajenos a la paz" ahonda en el presente y pasado de excombatientes farianos
Film Threat  March 23 2022
"Strangers to Peace"
Screen Anarchy  March 15 2022
Miami Film Festival
El Tiempo  March 10 2022
Documental 'Strangers to Peace' reflexiona sobre el proceso de paz
AL DÍA  March 4 2022
Ten Latino Movies to Watch at the Miami Film Festival
PUBLICITY MATERIALS AND CONTACT
Press Kit  |  Poster  |  Contact: noahdebonis[at]gmail.com
CREDITS
Directors  Laura Àngel - Noah DeBonis
Writers  Laura Àngel - Noah DeBonis - Matthew Cohn - Ricardo Acosta - Colleen O'Brien
Directors of Photography  Rajiv Smith-Mahabir - Laura Àngel
Producers  Laura Àngel - Noah DeBonis - Colleen O'Brien
Co-Producers  Rajiv Smith-Mahabir - Margaret Cardillo
Editor  Matthew Cohn
Advising Editors  Ricardo Acosta - Andrea Cignoli
Executive Producer  Noah DeBonis
Music Composer  Nascuy Linares
Sound Design/Post Production Coordinator  Jorge Fernandez
Colorist  Anthony Tocchio
Associate Producers  Pivote Cine - Leilani Gushiken - L.A. Strucke - Jules M. Vanfau
Communications/Grants  Giulio Rocca 
WITH SUPPORT FROM
Sundance Institute Story Development Lab​​​​​​​
Bogotá Audiovisual Market Rough Cut Screening Lab
International Peace Research Association Foundation 

Center for Independent Documentary
University of Miami
Centro de Memoria Paz y Reconciliación
Casa Museo de Memoria
DONATE
Make a donation through our fiscal sponsor, the Center for Independent Documentary.
PHOTOS
Poster
Poster
Colleen, Laura, Noah
Colleen, Laura, Noah
Noah and Colleen
Noah and Colleen
Scene with Ricardo
Scene with Ricardo
Scene with Conrado
Scene with Conrado
Rajiv and Laura in the Amazon
Rajiv and Laura in the Amazon
Scene with Ricardo
Scene with Ricardo
Alexandra with her boyfriend
Alexandra with her boyfriend
Alexandra in the Amazon
Alexandra in the Amazon
Alexandra in Pacoa
Alexandra in Pacoa
Dayana on a bus
Dayana on a bus
Dayana with her friend
Dayana with her friend
Dayana at home
Dayana at home
Ricardo's tattoos
Ricardo's tattoos
Ricardo at work
Ricardo at work
Ricardo in FARC
Ricardo in FARC
Police escort
Police escort
Andrea and Dayana
Andrea and Dayana
Bogotá Streets
Bogotá Streets
Ricardo
Ricardo
Plaza de Bolivar
Plaza de Bolivar
Bogotá
Bogotá
Buenos Aires, Vaupés
Buenos Aires, Vaupés
Alexandra en Buenos Aires, Vaupés
Alexandra en Buenos Aires, Vaupés
Alexandra en Buenos Aires, Vaupés
Alexandra en Buenos Aires, Vaupés
Vaupés
Vaupés
Vaupés
Vaupés
Raudal del Jirijirimo
Raudal del Jirijirimo
Copyright © Noah Debonis 2022-2023