Screening: "FROM VIOLENCE TO VIRTUE: Colombia's Path to Peace"

About

About the screening: After more than fifty years of internal armed conflict, Colombia faces a question deeper than any treaty can answer: what does it take to actually rebuild trust between people who were once enemies? From Violence to Virtue traces the country's long, uneven path toward peace — from the 2008 marches against war, through the 2012–2016 negotiations in Havana between the government of Juan Manuel Santos and the FARC guerrilla, to the signing of one of the world's most ambitious peace agreements. But the film argues that the accord itself was only a beginning. Through testimony from former president Santos, former guerrilla commanders, victims, and religious and civic leaders, the documentary follows what came after the signatures: a plebiscite that rejected the deal and forced renegotiation, the creation of a transitional justice system (the JEP) built around victims' rights to truth and reparation, and the halting, deeply human process of confrontation and forgiveness between perpetrators and survivors. Framed around virtues that had once seemed abstract — empathy, humility, patience, the willingness to ask for and grant forgiveness — the film makes the case that lasting peace isn't secured by institutions or laws alone, but by countless private decisions to recognize the other person's humanity. It closes without resolution: excombatants still being killed, illegal economies still fueling violence in parts of the country, and a nation still learning, region by region, what it means to live alongside people it once called enemies.

Monica Cohen is a Colombian filmmaker whose documentaries explore art, culture, and social transformation through intimate human stories. She founded The Boom House, a Boston-based production company specializing in cinematic documentary storytelling that bridges cultural divides and amplifies marginalized voices.

Cohen's work has screened at prestigious festivals including Sundance, CPH:DOX, and FICCI. She was named a 2023 Brother Thomas Fellow in recognition of her artistic vision and community impact. Her feature documentary DREAMS OF CHONTA (2020) won Best Documentary at multiple festivals including United Latino Film Festival, while MY NAME IS PEDRO (2017), which she co-produced, earned the Audience Award at Brooklyn Film Festival and Best Documentary at Golden Door International Film Festival.

Please register to attend. Full details available on our website. Free and open to the public.