IJCentral: International Justice Central

The Reckoning: The Battle for the International Criminal Court is an epic, nail-biting account of the new International Criminal Court’s struggle to prosecute perpetrators — however powerful or concealed they may be — of crimes against humanity as the Court fights to establish its own credibility on the world stage. The film shows the lead-up to the court’s most recent and sensational action, the indictment of Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir on March 4, 2009, for crimes against humanity and war crimes. Established by treaty in 2002 in response to the mass atrocities that stained the late 20th century, the International Criminal Court (known as the ICC) is the first permanent international criminal court created to seek justice for victims of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. But the Court, given a historic mandate by its founding 100-plus nations, was not given a police force or other enforcement arm. Moreover, the ICC faces major obstacles in pursuing its mission from nations that did not join the treaty.

Paco de Onís, Peter Kinoy and Pamela Yates’ The Reckoning, an Official Selection at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, has its national television premiere on Tuesday, July 14, 2009 at 10 p.m. on PBS during the 22nd season of P.O.V. (check local listings). The series continues on Tuesdays at 10 p.m. through Sept. 22, and returns with fall and winter specials. American television’s longest- running independent documentary series, P.O.V. is the recipient of an Emmy for Excellence in Television Documentary Filmmaking.