Two ex-commanders of the FARC rebel group re-enter a hostile Colombian society after 50 years of civil war. They soon learn that symbolic football tournaments against former enemies cannot heal the scars of conflict. When the new president derails the peace process, their names appear on paramilitary hit lists, plunging their lives into a struggle for survival.
Sleeping Giant
Markus Schröder
Born in 1982 in Kulmbach. Studied Directing in Buenos Aires. Active as a director for documentary, feature and advertising films.
2012 HOW TOM GOT HIS SCAR
2016 ADRIFT
THE RITUAL
2020 MIND MENDING
#RETHINK 2023
SLEEPING GIANT, Dokumentar-Spielfilm HOF 2023
“When I met Pedro and Eduardo, the protagonists of SLEEPING GIANT, I was captivated by their mixed feelings of defiance and fear. Their determination to build new lives as civilians became as dangerous an undertaking as the war itself: it was simmering under the surface, and that’s why I wanted their story to be told.
Both spoke extensively about the injustices their group of ex-rebels faced. At the same time, they themselves were accused of committing atrocities. The film’s vérité style which allows the characters to speak and act for themselves highlights these blurred boundaries. The viewer is encouraged to question the moral implications of war, for the characters not only show remorse, but also deny the crimes of which we show harrowing footage. I want to humanize the characters without glorifying them. I hope to show the audience a new perspective of a community that is far more complex than is portrayed in the media. Are they good or bad? I wouldn’t want to make that judgment for anyone. But I want to at least show the persons behind it all.”
Markus Schröder