troublemaker
[truhb-uh l-mey-ker]
a person who habitually causes difficulty or problems, especially by inciting others to defy those in authority. 

Very few films have been made about the United Nations with good reason, but tonight’s THE TROUBLEMAKER is one of the exceptions – and well worth a watch for that reason alone.

Obtaining permission to film inside the U.N. is virtually impossible, but young director Roberto Salinas managed to gain unprecedented access to areas inside the U.N. where cameras had never made it before. How? It was access made possible with the assistance of Father Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann, presidential chair of the General Assembly from September 2008-September 2009 and most definitely a troublemaker of the highest order (and in the best possible way).

troublemaker
[truhb-uh l-mey-ker]
a person who habitually causes difficulty or problems, especially by inciting others to defy those in authority. 

Very few films have been made about the United Nations with good reason, but tonight’s THE TROUBLEMAKER is one of the exceptions – and well worth a watch for that reason alone.

Obtaining permission to film inside the U.N. is virtually impossible, but young director Roberto Salinas managed to gain unprecedented access to areas inside the U.N. where cameras had never made it before. How? It was access made possible with the assistance of Father Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann, presidential chair of the General Assembly from September 2008-September 2009 and most definitely a troublemaker of the highest order (and in the best possible way).

A Latin American priest, suspended by the Pope for his involvement in revolutionary politics, Father Miguel became President of the General Assembly of the U.N. against popular opinion, and through his heart and soul into his work whilst quietly disrupting wherever he could.By no means a newcomer to UN diplomacy, D’Escoto was for over a decade the international face of Nicaragua’s Sandinista government, in which he served as foreign minister after the overthrow of the Somoza dictatorship. A liberation theologian, Marxist and promoter of non-violence, D’Escoto took charge at the UN in the last few months of the Bush Administration, when the reputation of our only global parliament was at an all time low.

When asked how he first came into contact with the revolutionary priest, director Salinas told press at the time of the film’s release, “I was in Nicaragua in 2008. I am half Italian, half Nicaraguan so I spent a lot of time in Nicaragua and I heard that father Miguel D’Escoto was a candidate for the next President of the U.N. General Assembly. At the time I was very interested in exploring what was going on in Latin America especially, with the new socialist movement, with the ALBA countries, with this new alliance of socialist countries. I thought it was a tremendous opportunity to put these things together with a broader look at the international diplomacy from the Latin-American perspective.”

The camera follows Father Miguel everywhere, even to places in the UN protected by extreme security and hitherto hidden from many a prying eye. Salinas acknowledges that this was all down to the willingness of Miguel to throw open the UN’s doors, calling him “brave enough, some might say crazy enough, to let us film”. It is obvious when watching the film that not everyone was that happy to have cameras poking around, and Salinas has said that much was left on the cutting room floor as it was simply to revealing to be able to show.

For me the film was a true glimpse into two very different worlds. Via Father Miguel it was an insight into a certain era, a certain time in Latin America and its values. It was also the opportunity to follow a year in the life of the UN, seeing what it is and how it works. It is an institution that is struggling but essential to the continued civilization (whatever that is by today’s standards) of our modern world.

Amazingly, in an unprecedented decision, Pope Francis has now lifted the suspension of Father Miguel D'Escoto Brockmann, ordered 29 years ago by John Paul II because of the priest’s refusal to give up his political position in Nicaragua's Sandinista government. After a life devoted to activism as a revolution theologian and advocate of the developing world, he is a respected man and whilst still a troublemaker, is an inspiring and respected one at that.