Tanja - Up in Arms
(Tanja – Tagebuch einer Guerillera)
Marcel Mettelsiefen | Documentary
2023 | 85 minutes | Germany
What makes a nice, young middle-class Dutch woman want to join a revolutionary struggle thousands of miles from home?
Synopsis
What drives a young, middle-class Dutch woman to join a revolutionary struggle far from home?
In the early 2000s, 19-year-old Tanja left the Netherlands to work as an au pair in Colombia. There, she was confronted with political turmoil and, horrified by the injustice, joined FARC, the world’s largest guerrilla army. The film traces her transformation from an idealist to a key FARC member involved in high-stakes operations and later in peace negotiations that ended Latin America’s longest civil war.
Tanja’s diaries, discovered in a 2007 raid, reveal her internal struggles and dissatisfaction with jungle life, contrasting with her later public defiance. Now living in Colombia under an Interpol arrest warrant, her family reunion remains impossible. The documentary questions gender biases in media portrayals of female revolutionaries, offering a gripping narrative against the backdrop of Colombia’s conflict.
Reviews
“What makes a nice, young middle-class Dutch woman want to join a revolutionary struggle thousands of miles from home? That is one of the questions asked in Marcel Mettelsiefen’s probing new feature documentary.” — Geoffrey Macnab, BUsiness Doc Europe
“The documentary features some striking new interview material with its main protagonist.” – Geoffrey Macnab, BUSINESS DOC EUROPE
Citation
Main credits
Mettelsiefen, Marcel (film director)
Stoltz, Oliver (film producer)
Nijmeijer, Tanja (on-screen participant)
Other credits
Cinematography, Marcel Mettelsiefen, Sofia Oggioni Hatty; editing, Stephen Ellis; music, Johannes Repka.
Citation
Cataloging
Pragda subjects
Biography
Criminal Justice
Exile
History
International Relations
Latin American Studies
Political Science
South America
Women
Keywords
Clips
Festivals
Dok.fest Munich; Salt Spring Film Festival; Millenium Film Festival
DIRECTOR: Marcel Mettelsiefen
NATIONALITY: Germany
YEAR: 2023
GENRE: Documentary
LANGUAGE: Dutch; Other languages; Spanish; English
COLOR / B&W: Color
GRADE LEVEL: High School, College, Adult
SUBTITLE/CC: AVAILABLE
AUDIO DESCRIPTION: NOT AVAILABLE
Existing customers, please log in to view this film.
New to Pragda? Register to request a quote.
Related Films
When the Guns Go Silent
El silencio de los fusiles
Latin Wars
América armada
Guerrilla Voices: Humanizing War
Voces de guerrilla
Red Land
Tierra escarlata
On the Other Side
Del otro lado
Our Song to War
Nuestro canto a la guerra
Genaro
Port of Destiny: Peace
Mute Fire
Pirotecnia
Elena
Ciro and Me
Ciro y yo
When the Waters Flow as One
Cuando las aguas se juntan
Route 60
Ruta 60
Related Collections
The Pragda Complete Film Collection
The essence of Spain and Latin America captured in their original language with English captions or subtitles.
Number of titles: 637
SEE COLLECTION >Documentary Chronicles
A truthful examination and captivating glimpse into the complexities of the region.
Number of titles: 385
SEE COLLECTION >