Filmmaker Recalls Being Held Hostage While Trying to Rid 'Femicide' in Guatemala Melissa Castellanos - Latin Post
go to original December 13, 2013

Justice for My Sister Trailer (Justice for My Sister)

Los Angeles-based Colombian and Irish-American filmmaker Kimberly Bautista is a crusader against the violent killing of women, or what she calls "femicide," in Juarez, Mexico, Guatemala and throughout Central America.

That's why it's incomprehensible to learn that Bautista, a voice for those who have been silenced or abused, was held hostage and raped during the culmination of her four-year-journey making the award-winning documentary, Justice For My Sister.

While staying at a house in Guatemala, the 28-year-old a Pasadena, Calif. native, who was born to a Colombian father and Irish-American mother, recalled being held hostage and raped by armed assailants, NBC Latino reported. The filmmaker's camera equipment was also stolen. Since the crime occurred, there hasn't been a resolution to the case, and it's unclear if the perpetrators had targeted her because of her work on the film.

"We were able to identify two suspects, but they were released," Bautista said.

Looking at the bigger picture in an incredibly unselfish way, Bautista "explains this act of violence towards her made her realize her film could be used as a prevention tool and hopefully encourage especially men to take a stand against violence."

Read the rest at Latin Post

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