SYNOPSIS

The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it. Through violence you may murder the liar, but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth. Through violence you murder the hater, but you do not murder hate. In fact, violence merely increases hate....  Returning violence for violence multiples violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.

Dr. Martin Luther King

“Which one of your sons do you want me to kill first? If you don’t pay by tomorrow I’ll send you one of their bodies…”

A mother listens on the phone to the voice of a kidnapper, hurling obscenities at her. Dominated by an anonymous and cowardly enemy, she cries in silence. What is the price of a life?

Mexico has become one of the most violent civilized countries in the world. Bloodshed, extortion and kidnapping have become the norm for its citizens. The question is, will Mexico continue to remain silent?

In 2009, 16 year old Eric LeBaron was kidnapped in a small town in the northern state of Chihuahua, Mexico. The kidnappers asked for a ransom of one million dollars. Fed up with the situation, Benjamin LeBaron, one of Eric’s older brothers and father to five kids, decided to take a firm stand against kidnapping. In an unprecedented move, the Le Baron family refused to pay. Organized by Benjamin, the whole community of Galeana intervened and publicly protested for Eric’s liberation. They refused to support the kidnapping business by further financing it.

Overcoming an oppressive barrier of fear, which keeps most of Mexico paralyzed, these people stood their ground. They are not kidnapping one person… they are kidnapping the whole town; the townsfolk said.

Seven days later Eric was found. 

Alive and unharmed.

His kidnappers had yielded to the pressure. The people of Galeana didn’t use weapons and didn’t pay the ransom. They used the force of non-violence and they scored a huge victory against criminals, accustomed to getting their way through fear.

After his little brother was released, Benjamin continued organizing a movement that soon brought together thousands of people in the region and caught national attention. This brought the ire of many criminals in the area who threatened his life if he continued.

With his bright blue eyes looking straight into the camera, Benjamin says; I’m not trying to be a hero, I’m very scared, but someone needs to do this. This was the last exclusive and intimate interview ever recorded of Benjamin Le Baron before his assassination.

Predictably the criminals became very afraid of the force he and the townsfolk were building and struck back.

Incendiar el Cielo follows a series of remarkable people, each doing what they can to challenge a common enemy: VIOLENCE. One group of concerned Mexicans uses community building and non-violent protest to recover the hearts, minds and homes of those who have been deeply affected by the fear of kidnapping, robbery and gang violence.

Behind the impenetrable walls of the most feared maximum security prison in Mexico, a kidnapper justifies his crime with his need to possess material goods, I was tired to be down here, at the bottom… I wanted more… a part of me said ‘don’t do it’, but the other part said ‘do it, you already decided it’.

Poverty is the cause of violence, many people think. This film explores the class struggle in this country. The rich against the poor, the poor against the rich. Which one is a better person? We hear the testimonials of people who point out there are many poor people who are not violent and many wealthy people who are extremely violent. Risking the displeasure of the upper class of which he’s a part, the son of an Ex-President intimates that people in Mexico still believe in slavery; we, the higher class, believe others exist to serve us…

Despite the fact they have suffered in unspeakable ways, some visionary Mexicans do not believe violence is the solution to violence. Rubi Pando, the mother of a seven-year-old who was killed in 2005, describes how her little girl was kidnapped, tortured, raped and buried in cement. Even so, Rubi takes a non-violent stand against violence. She writes songs, participates in demonstrations against crime and devotes her efforts to an organization called; We want our daughters back home.

Placing these remarkable acts in context, Incendiar el Cielo also examines the actions of Mahatma Gandhi and asks what is required to uphold a principle in the face of fear and enormous personal discomfort. What Mahatma Gandhi called “Satyagraha” (Pursuit of Truth) is the most potent form of provocation because it causes that which is behind violence to show itself. As an expert on psychopathic behavior, interviewed in the film says; violence and fear love to hide. They need to be exposed.

There is no reason for fighting in this country… he who has the gun and shoots, he’s not the bravest, he’s just a wimp… these are the words of “Mex”, a gang member who quit a life of violence and killing and now organizes Rap concerts to settle conflicts with lyrics and music instead of bloodshed.

Mexico now holds the record for having the most violent city in the world: Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua. In December 2009, a number of professors, students and workers at the University of this city started to demonstrate against the horrible acts of violence they face every day. The average death toll is almost 15 people per day. Even though there is a personal and permanent threat against their lives for protesting, they come together every day, at the same hour, blowing whistles and banging on any metal object they can find. This din becomes a symphony of protest. When asked by the filmmakers why they do this, they replied: We want to live in freedom.

This film is the result of more than four hundred hours of footage. The perspective from which the questions were asked and the sensitive approach of the filmmakers bring to the screen a unique mosaic of deep emotionality and human honesty.

This has taken the filmmakers on a journey from the lives of the wealthy… to extreme poverty in the slums of Mexico… to the police and kidnapping units struggling with violence… to kidnappers serving life terms in prison… to rock-stars, activists, humanitarians and everyday citizens doing their part to build the soul of a country. It is the intent of this film to give voice to the few rare Mexicans who are laying their lives on the line for a dream. The dream of a noble country. The film shows that they do exist and possess unbreakable conviction.

Ultimately this film shows that every country in the world, which has experienced acts of violence, has one thing in common: human beings. This has been true of any moment in history.  Incendiar el Cielo seeks to raise awareness about a global problem and to present the public with a solution that doesn't involve blame and more violence.

Director: Mark Vicente

Producers: Antonio Cervantes & Alex Balassa

A Production of Insight Industries, Kommunika Veritatis & Blindspot Pictures