"This is a film that really is worth looking for. " Alex Strachan, Canwest

Sixty years ago, with the Nuremberg charter, the world first said "Never Again." But these proved empty words for the victims of the Cold War years. The Superpowers couldn't agree on a universal code to punish war criminals. Tyrants ruled with impunity.

So the voices of their victims have echoed down through the decades, refusing to be silent, even in death. Joined by relatives who are unable to move on, until they know how their loved ones died. Different languages from different places, but with the same universal theme - begging to be delivered from the torment of living somewhere between life and death. Telling us that they will be able, finally, to rest, when we find out how they died. Insisting we listen.

It is because of these voices that International Justice has been reborn. In 2002 the International Criminal Court was established in The Hague. So far 100 countries have signed on to the Court's mandate. However, the world's remaining superpower, the United States is strongly opposed.

The new Court is already busy. It is investigating crimes against humanity in Darfur. It has issued indictments against leaders of the Lord's Resistance Army in Northern Uganda who abduct children and force them to fight. And a militia leader from the Democratic Republic of the Congo faces charges of recruiting children as young as 8 to fight for him.

For the first time war criminals are being forced to listen. The victims' voices now haunt them, telling them they will not be silent until justice is done.

Filmed in:

KOSOVO : (The arrest and trial of Slobodan Milosevic)

NORTHERN UGANDA : (The immense suffering of the Acholi people at the hands of Joseph Kony and The Lord's Resistance Army.

IRAQ: The untold numbers of voiceless civilian casualties, and Abu Ghraib.

RWANDA: How justice failed the women who were raped during the 1994 genocide.

DARFUR: The Security Council decision mandating the ICC to prosecute Crimes against Humanity.



Grade Level: 10 - 12, College, Adult
US Release Date: 2006     Copyright Date: 2005
DVD ISBN: 1-59458-531-8     VHS ISBN: 1-59458-530-X

Reviews "In Search of International Justice offers both an overview of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and a crash course in international human rights...Veteran filmmaker Judy Jackson's remarkable documentary makes a compelling case for an independent, international court to protect and enforce basic human rights. Highly recommended." Video Librarian, Editor's Choice "Unravels the politics and personalities at the forefront of a renewed search for international justice, but it is the individual stories of war victims that resonate...[and] drive the documentary, which should be required viewing for the powerful holdouts in the White House who are cutting off aid to countries that support the ICC." Henrietta Walmark, (Toronto) Globe and Mail "Manages to bring terrible events to life through carefully managed witness interviews, well chosen archival footage and a haunting, evocative musical score...a thoughtful, well researched look at a thorny, often complex subject... this is a film that really is worth looking for. If you're even remotely interested about what's going on in the world... In Search of International Justice is a keeper." Alex Strachan, Canwest "In Search of International Justice is an informative presentation of the issues surrounding the International Criminal Court. It cites a wide range of situations from Rwanda to the Sudan in which international authorities have attempted to apprehend the agents of genocide. This film is a must for courses involving current events and multilateral organizations." Dr. Craig Eisendrath, Senior Fellow, Center for International Policy "In Search of International Justice makes a compelling case for the International Criminal Court... Eye witness accounts and gripping archival footage clearly illustrate why the international community must respond to those who suffer at the hands of tyrannical leadership. Highly recommended for law, political science, and contemporary issues courses." Douglas Reed, Educational Media Reviews Online "In Search of International Justice is probably the first critical documentary revealing the dualistic application of American law as it used in national vs. international criminal courts...Judy Jackson, producer of the film, is well known for her documentaries of tyrant bureaucracies of death and human rights...Even great superpowers such as the United States can not persuade the courts with money, embargos, or political clout if the courtroom consciousness believes its action are just." Gregory O'Dell, Campus Pencil Detective (blog)