Watchers of the Sky

Watchers of the Sky is an insightful and deeply moving 2014 documentary film that reminds viewers that acts of genocide didn't start or stop with the Holocaust. It presents a thought provoking exploration of the enduring yet challenging fight against mass killings and genocide. This documentary takes audiences on a journey spanning various continents, different time periods, and exposes them to four major characters who have played pivotal roles in achieving justice for victims of mass killings.

The film is directed by Edet Belzberg who brilliantly crafts a narrative that oscillates between historical exposition and analytical perspective. Notably, Watchers of the Sky intertwines four parallel stories with the main one, which focuses on Raphael Lemkin. As a lawyer and linguist of Polish-Jewish descent, Lemkin was instrumental in introducing the term 'genocide' to the world’s legal vocabulary following the unspeakable atrocities witnessed during the Holocaust. With a somber yet arresting intelligence, Belzberg details Lemkin's tireless campaign to make genocide a recognized crime under international law.

Juxtaposed with the tale of Lemkin is Benjamin Ferencz's story, the last surviving Nuremberg prosecutor. Ferencz's narrative is an emotional testimony of his experiences whilst prosecuting Nazi officials for the mass murder of Jews during World War II. At the age of 27, Ferencz found himself in the unique position of trying Nazi SS officers in the Nuremberg Trials, an experience that marked him for life and spurred his lifelong commitment to international law and peace.

Among the modern-day figures who continue the struggle against genocide featured in the documentary is Luis Moreno-Ocampo, formerly the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court. Ocampo's story offers a contemporary take on the fight against mass killings, translating Lemkin and Ferencz's experiences into a modern context with its unique challenges.

Through the use of narration performed by Matt Mitler, Watchers of the Sky presents Lemkin's words, unveiling the horrifying realities of genocide and the importance of shedding light on these often overlooked or conveniently forgotten histories.

A fourth and equally fascinating narrative thread in the documentary traces the efforts of United Nations Ambassador Samantha Power. Power, whose career and activism were largely inspired by Lemkin's work, is best known for her advocacy for humanitarian intervention. Her journey offers an account of renewed determination and hope in the fight against mass atrocities.

Rather than taking a conventional approach in terms of documentary presentation, Watchers of the Sky leans heavily towards the poetic, utilizing beautiful animation, narrative voice overs, and deeply evocative imagery to convey the heavy realities of its subject matter. The meticulously designed animations work in tandem with archival footage to render the bleak history of genocide worldwide.

The film effectively captures the tragedy and magnitude of genocide while also highlighting the tremendous compassion and relentless pursuit of a select few who have dedicated their lives to bringing a stop to it.

Watchers of the Sky is not just a history lesson but also a highly emotional exposition of human morality and determination. It effectively illuminates the painful legacy of genocide, humanity's seeming inability to prevent it, and the quiet heroes who have devoted their lives to holding those who perpetrate it accountable. In a world where mass atrocities continue to occur, the documentary feels incredibly relevant. Belzberg’s careful curation of the stories is a call to never forget these tragedies and to persist in the quest for justice, however elusive it might seem.

In a nutshell, Watchers of the Sky is a deeply poignant film, as it prods the viewer’s consciousness and takes them on a journey through the dark hallways of human history and into the ongoing struggle for justice. The film embodies the notion that it only takes one person to spawn a movement and that the fight against genocide must be an unending one until it is finally eradicated from the face of the earth.