Films and documentaries

The documentary shares the story of Jo Berry and Pat Magee. In 1984, Jo's father and 4 others were killed in the bombing of the Grand Hotel, Brighton. Pat was sentenced for his role in planting the bomb, and was released in 1999 as part of the Good Friday Peace Agreement. Jo has founded the charity "Building Bridges for Peace": the hardest one to built, she says, was with Pat. This new documentary is directed by Imad Karam, award-winning British-Palestinian film maker, who was brought up in Gaza city, thus the documentary makes references to today's acts of extreme violence and genocide with a message of peace and non violence.

Since the production of their first documentary, Another Justice (USA, 2016 - see below), Isabelle Vayron and Chloé Henry Biabaud wanted to film a full restorative justice process, from the preparation phase until the actual restorative encounters. In La réparation they filmed the encounters (during an entire year in the Auxerre prison in France) between 3 victims and 4 inmates. Participants in these restorative dialogues are not directly related to each other, and all have experiences of (attempted) murder (including femicide). The documentary portrays the main French experiences of restorative justice, i.e. dialogue groups in prison with surrogate participants. Contact directlly the producer (Chasseur d’étoiles) and the co-directors to ask for access to the film.

This French film follows the story of three restorative justice practitioners (Judith, Fanny and Michel) that facilitate victim-offender dialogues using different methodologies adapted to different settings. In parallel, the film shows the dialogues between Nassim, Issa, and Thomas, sentenced for theft with violence, and Gregoire, Nawelle and Sabine, victims of home jacking, robbery and purse snatching, and the restorative justice meeting of Chloe, victim of incestuous rape, with her stepbrother. On their journey, there is anger and hope, silence and words, alliances and heartbreaks, awareness and regained confidence, and, only sometimes, reparation.

This documentary talks about the encounters between victims and survivors of the Brussels terrorist attacks (2016) and the families of young people who went to Syria to fight for the Jihadist movement, and other affected citizens (e.g. their teachers in Molenbeek). After the terrorist attack, a group called "Retissons du Liens" (Let's Reweave the Link) tried to reconnect victims and parents of young people seduced by the Jihadist ideology.  

This drama film portrays a restorative encounter between two sets of grieving parents affected by a tragedy affecting their sons. Jail and Gail lost their son Evan in a mass shooting in an American high school. Six years after the tragedy, they decide to meet Richard and Linda, whose teenage son committed the act, killing himself after his shooting, in a private room of a local church.

This Spanish biographical drama film is based on the true story of Maixabel Lasa, who lost her husband Juan María Jáuregui to ETA, a Basque separatist group, in 2000. The film follows Maixabel’s journey as she agrees to meet one of the ETA prisoners responsible for the death of her father, in an attempt to find some kind of restorative justice. This story is partly portrayed also in the theatre play "La Mirada del Otro" (Proyecto 43-2) and the real Maixabel is a member of The Encounter of the Encounters.

This Norwegian documentary film tells the story of Barbora Kysilkova, a talented artist, who becomes friend with Karl-Bertil Nordland, the person convicted for stealing her work from an Oslo art gallery. 

The Finnish movie Eye to Eye unveils the emotional journey of murder victims' families as they confront perpetrators, exploring restorative dialogue's healing power and offering a rare glimpse into lives touched by tragedy.

This documentary focuses on one of the very first direct encounters between victim and aggressor in France, during the Taubira reform in 2014. The protagonist, Maiana Bidegain (co-director), victim of rape by a stranger in her childhood, finds herself talking to her attacker, 33 years later. This experience brought her in Quebec where she meets other victims and perpetrators putting into practice this new vision of justice. 

The documentary (75 minutes) explores the difficult journey of victims and offenders participating in a restorative justice process. It focuses on the Belgian and Swiss experience in restorative justice in serious crimes and the limitations of criminal justice.

In 1985, Kathleen lost her brother Eddie, an American soldier, at the hands of the Red Army Faction, a German leftist terrorist organization. In this documentary, decades later, she has decided to seek out the group responsible for his murder.

This docudrama is based on a real meeting which took place between Ailbhe Griffith and the man who, nine years earlier, sexually assaulted her and left her seriously injured and fearing for her life.
Ailbhe has chosen to play herself in this unique drama from one of Ireland’s most provocative filmmakers, Alan Gilsenan. What emerges is a truly unique and unorthodox cinematic experience as Ailbhe courageously seeks healing through a progressive form of justice, rapidly gaining momentum throughout the world. Watch an interview with Ailbhe here.

The film tells about the meeting between a mother and an offender twenty-five years after the rape and assassination of the woman’s son.
Read more here, or on the website of our member IFJR.

Original title: Ich muss ihm in die Augen sehen: Kann man einen Mord verzeihen?
A German film about a mother who wants to meet with the murderer of her son.
Watch it here.

This documentary tells the story of three victims and their encounters with three prisoners with long sentences. They do not know each other but they are protagonists of the same type of crime. They all have to elaborate on the mourning and the loss of their dears, a difficult path that requires from all of them to face their past and trust one another. 

You can read more here.

The documentary presents a real and unique story for contributing to the struggle to end domestic violence: 20 years after the abuses, the co-director meets her abusive ex-partner, a step towards understanding, accountability, justice and healing. 
Read more here.

The film is based on a theatre performance of a real case where two families meet in the presence of a facilitator, the parents of a young woman who was raped and murdered and the family of the offender. The film aims to raise awareness on the potential power of dialogue between people affected by serious crime, but it does not picture a process fully in line with all methodological requirements of a restorative justice process.
Read more here.

The film is about the exchanges between Leonard, serving a life sentence in prison for two murders, and Agnes, the victims’ mother and grandmother. As the law didn’t allow them to meet, they exchanged letters and joined in a mutual fight to promote RJ.
Read more here.

This documentary, shown on Dutch TV (English subtitles available in Dec. 2015) gives voice to a victim of robbery in a cafe. The documentary reconstructs the way the case was handled, the victim’s own actions and her request for restoration.
Watch it here (in Dutch).

The film documents three stories in three different countries (Germany, Norway and US) where the victim and offender of cases of homicide meet.
Read more here.

Two youngsters from Nottingham created this short film (3m 28s) t to highlight the benefits of restorative justice as a way of reducing youth re-offending. This is one of the production of Fixers, a charity in the UK that gives a voice to young people aged 16 to 25, supporting them to tackle the issues that matter the most to them by developing their own campaign (e.g. producing films, posters, games or lesson plans). 

The story of Peter Woolf and Will Riley after their meeting in a restorative justice process.
Watch it here.

The documentary tells the story of a group of visionaries who refuse to surrender to violence and injustice: the Combatants for Peace, nominated for two Nobel Peace Prizes, a bi-national group of former enemy combatants, Israelis and Palestinians, working together during an ongoing armed conflict. Faced with the devastation and escalating violence of October 7th and the war in Gaza, the very core of the movement must face great challenges and show that there is another way.

Marsyangdi Wile Ri’iba: May You Live as Long as the River (Nepal) and Aty Seikuinduwa: Judge Between Worlds (Colombia) are two short documentaries rethinking how we perceive and integrate more-than-human voices into legal and political decision-making and  restorative justice practices. Through intimate storytelling and immersive cinematography, they explore the clash between Indigenous knowledge systems and dominant legal regimes that often fail to recognise the agency of invisible guardians of the land. The films offer a profound reflection on legal pluralism, spirituality, and resistance to extractivism. 

In this short film (29'), two ghostly figures build a campfire in silence. Little by little, their bodies are revealed and their masks fall. They are two youngsters connected by a story of rape. Their conversation flows more freely as the night progresses and, gradually, the violent circumstances of their last night together are evoked. Morgane, the director, is also one of the protagonists of the film (French, with English subtitles). 

In this film, Azdyne Amimour, the father of one of the youngsters responsible for the Bataclan terrorist attacks (Paris, 2015), shares his story, namely the perspective of the other victims of ISIS, namely the families whose children were ripped from them. In 2019, Azdyne took his initial legal steps towards finding his granddaughter Alaa. Together with George Salines, whose daughter Lola was killed in the Bataclan, they engage with ex-prisoners to help counter Islamic State propaganda, and they are engaged in a group which brings together the families of victims and families of perpetrators of terrorism, equally determined, and united, in not wanting to allow terrorism to further divide France.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, a British musician wrote and coordinated the reading of a script (via Zoom) sharing the encounter of two couples, an Israeli and a Palestinian one, in a sort of creative reconciliation workshop. The film is based on a series of experiences she had, as a Jew, in the activist group "Frome Friends of Palestine". 

What if, away from tensions around questions of identity and the fear of others, we had found other realities? What if we had stories to tell of audacious citizens who, with a strong desire for people of different beliefs to live together in harmony, have found ways of reinventing family, education, social relations, culture, and work... What if, thanks to these stories, gathered from around the world, we can begin to see the emergence of what could be the multi-identity and yet harmonious world of tomorrow? And what if we all took part in it?

Restorative Practices Pioneer Ted Wachtel, recruits Kerra Bolton, a disillusioned ex-pat writer to document black-led, grassroots efforts in Detroit to restore relationships, repair harm, and build social capital through restorative practices. Join Kerra as she explores the impact of restorative practices in Detroit's classrooms, courts, and executive boardrooms and views Detroit through the lens of a man whose family tragedy led to his vision of Detroit as a restorative city.

Watch the episodes on Youtube.

It is a captivating documentary that displays the effects of untreated trauma on those incarcerated for murder in San Quentin prison, and the survivors left to deal with the aftermath of their actions. Determined to unearth empathy in unexpected places, former Los Angeles Public Defender and volunteer prison college instructor Katherin Hervey directs this introspective doc with clear-cut knowledge of the Justice System.

"…Trauma is a fact of life. It does not, however, have to be a life sentence."

Watch the trailer here.

This documentary is an inside look at the lives of two native Hawaiians sent thousands of miles away from the tropical islands to a private prison in the Arizona desert. In this unlikely setting, David and Hale find a community of other native Hawaiians and discover their indigenous traditions from a fellow inmate serving a life sentence.

Watch here the trailer 

Salomé Van Billoen is a criminologist who has worked for more than 10 years in Africa, especially in Ruanda. where she experiments restorative justice practices to solve community conflicts about domestic and sexual violence. This movie talks about her findings and the stories of these communities that have claimed the debate around justice.

Watch the trailer here.

This four-part documentary film series tells the story of a small group of incarcerated men and women struggling to earn college degrees and turn their lives around in one of the most rigorous and effective prison education programs in the United States – the Bard Prison Initiative. 

You can watch the trailer here.

The film tells the story of the first Victim-Offender Dialogue in the state of Massachusetts through the eyes of Janet Connors and a group of of mothers of murdered children who transform their grief and loss into healing for themselves and young people affected by trauma.
Read more here.

This documentary follows Eric Butler, a RJ pioneer working to combat racial discrimination in schools by replacing suspensions and expulsions with mentoring and conflict mediation circles. Butler, who is struggling to raise his 15-year-old son, Tre, in a neighbourhood dominated by gangs and drug dealers, finds his RJ strategy tested when Tre goes to jail for a crime he didn’t commit.
Read more here.

The documentary is made by filmmakers from the United States, Cambodia and Australia, telling the stories of three people who had the courage to step out of the tragic darkness of the past to move on from grief to compassion and forgiveness.
Read more here.

A violent supermarket incident involving a refugee in East Germany is reenacted in a film studio to reflect on the blurred distinction between civil courage and vigilante justice.
Read more here.

The documentary explores the artistic process and the life of fifteen inmates from a maximum security prison in Mexico and how they got into the world of drug trafficking. Read more here.

This movie is based on a true story. In 1971 in Durham, North Carolina, an activist named Ann Atwater, while fighting for the civil rights of black people, clashed with CP Ellis of the Ku Klux Clan about school integration. 

You can watch the trailer here.

The movie is available on Netflix.

This film tell the story of a former Australian soldier who returns to Afghanistan looking for the family of a man he killed during the war in order to confess his crime and suffer the consequences.
Read more here.

Healing Justice, explores the causes and consequences of the current North American justice system and its effect on marginalised communities. The film walks back through the history of violence that has led to our current system, bringing into focus the histories of trauma – on a personal, interpersonal, community, and generational level. The documentary addresses the school-to-prison pipeline, the need for comprehensive criminal justice reform, and the importance of healing and restorative practices.

Trailer

The documentary follows former enemy combatants – Israeli soldiers from elite units and Palestinian fighters, many of whom served years in prison – who have joined together to challenge the status quo. The film reveals their transformational journeys from soldiers committed to armed battle to nonviolent peace activists, leading to the creation of Combatants for Peace.
Read more here.

The documentary examines how crime hurts families of perpetrators.
Read more here.

As the title, says, this documentary is a ‘journey for the discovery of Restorative Justice’. It has been realised by the University of Insubria in Italy. 
Watch the film here.

The movie documents a family group conference held in a small Dutch community struggling with a variety of issues that were negatively affecting the quality of life in the village.
Watch the trailer here.

A documentary on RJ conferences for juvenile offenders in Belgium.
Read more  here.

The documentary celebrates the restorative effect of Shakespeare and literacy on a group of young offenders from Malta prison, realising their talents, developing their self-esteem and finding new connections with each other. 
Watch the trailer here.

A documentary on a South Africa anti-apartheid activist meeting the parents’ circles of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Read more here.

The documentary examines areas of conflict around the world and ask what it takes to forgive under the most difficult of circumstances.
Read more here.

The rehearsals of inmates at a high-security prison in Rome prepare for a public performance of Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar”.
Read more here.

The story of a restorative programme using art to facilitate dialogue between victims and imprisoned offenders.
Watch it here. 

The story of a community conference to let the offender explain his actions.
Watch the trailer here.

The story of healing in post-conflict Sierra Leone through the intimate stories of perpetrators and victims.
Read more here. 

The documentary follows the experiences of 27 Palestinians and Israelis that participated in the “Narrative Project” organised by the NGO “Parents Circle- Families Forum”.
Watch the trailer here.

This lecture is highly recommended for restorative justice practitioners: it focuses on the impact of emotions during restorative interventions.
Watch the trailer here. 

The story of three sisters reconnecting with their incarcerating father through a series of video letters.
Watch the trailer here. 

Bridge is a short animation (2m 45s) on different ways of conflict resolution. It tells the story of four animal characters trying to cross a bridge, but ending up as obstacles to one another in the process.

For 15 months, 45 inmates work on a theatre play which touches upon the themes of forgiveness, self- development, stigma and hope.
Watch it here.

The story of the implementation of restorative practices and strong leadership in a troubled high school in Philadelphia.
Watch it here.

In 1975, 11-year-old Catholic Joe Griffin witnessed the killing of his brother by a young Ulster Volunteer Force member, Alistair Little. The impact of the murder destroyed the lives of Joe and his family, who could not come to terms with the loss. Working closely with both men, screenwriter Guy Hibbert creates a unique and compelling film that moves from a powerful re-enactment of these tragic events to a fictional interpretation of what might happen should these two men ever come face to face.

Watch the trailer here.

The short film tells the life behind the prison bars trough the letters exchanged by three incarcerated youngsters.
Watch it  here.

The story of a woman confronted with the unexpected goodness of her family after spending fifteen years in prison.
Read more here.

The story of a Palestinian boy shot by Israeli soldiers and his father´s gesture of peace: donating his son’s organs to Israeli children.
Watch it here.

This film considers whether killers and survivors can coexist in peace 14 years after the genocide.
Read more here. 

The story of two strangers who met in tragedy; they will meet face-to-face to speak about loss, forgiveness and redemption only once he will be on death row.
Read more here. 
 

The story of three crime victims on their journey towards meeting face-to-face with the perpetrator. 
Read more here. 

Episode of two survivors separated by the Rwandese conflict speak with each other via video letters.
Watch it here.

The story of a RJ Conference after some juveniles burned an historical bridge.
Watch it here.

Three short documentaries around the theme of reconciliation. When the war separated people from ex-Yugoslavia, videoletters have been used to re-bring people together and promote reconciliation.
Read more here.

The implementation of restorative practices in several schools in the U.S., the Netherlands and the U.K.
Read more here.

Narrated by Glenn Close and winner of a 2005 Omni Intermedia Award this film profiles several stories of reconciliation, including the story of a small Midwestern farming community that was forced to confront its own stereotypes when Hasidic Jews moved into town, the reunion between a father and son after years of estrangement. Finally, the hour sheds a startling light on one woman's need to forgive the perpetrators who murdered her husband and raped her daughter.
Watch it here.

The story of an ex-life-sentenced murderer who attempts to so seek redemption with the family of his victim.
Read more here.

The story of a family searching for a “justice that heals” after a murder case.
Watch it here.

Documentary on RJ described by victims, offenders, judges, lawyers, scholars, etc.
Watch it here.

This film follows several cases from the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission, showing how communication has been used to attempt the country’s social reconciliation.
Read more here. 

This documentary profiles the tiny Ojibway community of Hollow Water on the shores of Lake Winnipeg as they deal with an epidemic of sexual abuse in their midst. The Manitoba justice system was unsuccessful in ending the cycle of abuse, so the community took matters into their own hands. The offenders were brought home to face justice in a community healing and sentencing circle. Based on traditional practices, this unique model of justice reunites families and heals both victims and offenders. The film is a powerful tribute to one community's ability to heal and create change.

You can watch the full movie here.

The story of a RJ Conference after a murder case.
Read more here.

This fiction-documentary hybrid uses a sensational real-life event—the arrest of a young man on charges that he fraudulently impersonated the well-known filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf—as the basis for a stunning, multilayered investigation into movies, identity, artistic creation, and existence, in which the real people from the case play themselves.