''Beyond Right & Wrong: Stories of Justice and Forgiveness'' is a 2012 American documentary film about restorative justice and

forgiveness Forgiveness, in a psychological sense, is the intentional and voluntary process by which one who may initially feel victimized or wronged, goes through a change in feelings and attitude regarding a given offender, and overcomes the impact of th ...

. It is directed by Roger Spottiswoode and Lekha Singh and produced by Lekha Singh and Rebecca Chaiklin. The film depicts victims and perpetrators of the Rwandan genocide, the

Israeli–Palestinian conflict The Israeli–Palestinian conflict is one of the world's most enduring conflicts, beginning in the mid-20th century. Various attempts have been made to resolve the conflict as part of the Israeli–Palestinian peace process, alongside other ef ...

, and The Troubles in Northern Ireland. The film tells the stories of Bassam and Salwa Aramin, Emmanuel Bamporiki, Jo Berry, Robi Damelin, Rami Elhanan and

Nurit Peled-Elhanan Nurit Peled-Elhanan ( he, נורית פלד-אלחנן; born 17 May 1949 in Jerusalem) is an Israeli philologist, professor of language and education at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, translator, and activist. She is a 2001 co-laureate of ...

, Patrick Magee, Richard Moore, Beatrice (Beata) Mukangarambe, and Jean-Baptiste Ntakirutimana. Commentators include Lord John Alderdice, Denis Bradley, Marina Cantacuzino, Bishop John Rucyahana, and Dr. James Smith.

Recognition

On 13 September 2012, United Nations Secretary-General

Ban Ki-moon Ban Ki-moon (; ; born 13 June 1944) is a South Korean politician and diplomat who served as the eighth secretary-general of the United Nations between 2007 and 2016. Prior to his appointment as secretary-general, Ban was his country's Minister ...

screened the film for the

General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presby ...

in New York. The film was also part of the 'World Cinema Narrative' section at the 2012 Hamptons International Film Festival. In 2014, '' The Huffington Post'' ran a series of eight articles inspired by the film. Authors included Kweku Mandela Amuah, Judith Light, Jo Berry, and co-director and producer Lekha Singh.

Awards

''Beyond Right & Wrong'' received the following awards: 2013: * Best Avant Garde Film by the American Psychological Association * Best Documentary Film by Fingal Film Festival * Runner-up for Best Documentary by the LA Jewish Film Festival 2014: * Social Impact Award at the Collective Conference in Park City, which bestowed a $50,000 matching grant from Pvblic. *Co-director and producer Lekha Singh received the Snowball Influencer Award from Cause Brands.

Reviews

* John DeFore
"Beyond Right & Wrong: Stories of Justice and Forgiveness (Review)."
''The Hollywood Reporter''. October 26, 2012. Retrieved July 24, 2014. * Giles Fraser
"The key to forgiveness is the refusal to seek revenge."
''The Guardian''. February 8, 2013. Retrieved July 24, 2014. * Onslow
“Why Forgiveness is Imperative in the Modern World.”
''Corner Magazine''. February 6, 2014. Retrieved July 23, 2014. * Neil White

''Every Film Blog''. February 7, 2014. Retrieved July 23, 2014. * Marina Cantacuzino

''Huff Post Impact''. February 18, 2014. Updated April 20, 2014. Retrieved July 23, 2014. * Frank Farley and Mona Sarshar
“From Giving to Forgiving—A Bridge Too Far?”
''PsycCRITIQUES'', Vol. 59, No. 8, Article 9. February 24, 2014. Referenced by Ryan M. Niemiec

''PsycCRITIQUES Blog''. March 27, 2014. Retrieved July 23, 2014.

Endorsements

Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Judith Light,

Charlize Theron Charlize Theron ( ; ; born 7 August 1975) is a South African and American actress and producer. One of the world's highest-paid actresses, she is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award. In 20 ...

, Hugh Jackman, and

Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist who served as the President of South Africa, first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1 ...

’s grandson Kweku Mandela Amuah all tweeted about the film.

Online Viewership

In February 2014, ''Beyond Right & Wrong'' collaborated with FilmRaise to promote the 52-minute version of the film while directing $500,000 to charity. A portion of the money donated by Operation Kids Foundation and Share the Mic is sent to a partnering charity when people watch the film online for free. '' Indiewire'' and '' Forbes'' also wrote about the campaign.

Partner Organizations

''Beyond Right & Wrong'' and FilmRaise partnered with the following NGOs: Anasazi Foundation, Building Bridges for Peace, Cinema for Peace Foundation, ConnecTeach, Creative Visions Foundation, Empower Mali, The Forgiveness Project, Free the Children, Heshima Kenya, Inclusion Center for Community and Justice, The Institute for Justice and Reconciliation, Jeans 4 Justice, Kidnected World, The Malala Fund, Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory, PeacePlayers International, Search for Common Ground, Solar Electric Light Fund, Ubuntu Education Fund, Utah Refugee Center, Utah Rotary District 5420, WITNESS, and Women for Women International. Promotional partners include The Arbinger Institute, BRITDOC, Pvblic Foundation, and the Tutu Global Forgiveness Challenge.“Promotional Partners.”
''FilmRaise''. Retrieved July 24, 2014

News Coverage

* Daniel Jenks
“Finding Forgiveness in the Darkest of Places.”
''MariaShriver.com''. February 26, 2014. Retrieved July 23, 2014.
“Madiba's grandson supports One Million Viewer campaign to drive justice and reconcilitation (sic).”
''Nelson Mandela.org''. March 7, 2014. Retrieved July 23, 2014. * Whitney Evans

''The Deseret News''. March 22, 2014. Retrieved July 23, 2014. * Candice Madsen

''The Deseret News''. April 13, 2014. Retrieved July 23, 2014. * Philip Hellmich (interview host)
“Beyond Right and Wrong with Lekha Singh, Mitch Warner, and John W. McDonald.”
''Shift Network''. Recorded June 17, 2014. Retrieved July 23, 2014. * Kweku Mandela
“New Film Offers Lesson in Forgiveness.”
''The African-American Observer''. Retrieved July 23, 2014. * Liz Smith
“Judith Light will Host a Screening.”
''JudithLight.com''. Retrieved July 23, 2014.

References

External links

Official website
* {{Roger Spottiswoode 2012 films 2012 documentary films American documentary films Documentary films about crime Documentary films about the Rwandan genocide Documentary films about the Israeli–Palestinian conflict Films about The Troubles (Northern Ireland) Films directed by Roger Spottiswoode Restorative justice Reconciliation Films scored by David Hirschfelder 2010s English-language films 2010s American films English-language documentary films