WHILE
YOU RETURN
A DOCUMENTARY BY LEONOR ZÚNIGA
A family fights to free a political
prisoner in Nicaragua
logline
A woman in exile fights to free her husband, a political prisoner in Nicaragua, while caring for their 9-year-old daughter.
S y N O P S i S
Berta Valle, an exiled journalist and popular television host from Nicaragua, fights for the release of her husband, Félix Maradiaga, unjustly imprisoned in their country, while raising their 9-year-old daughter, Alejandra.
Félix, a renowned human rights defender, is one of seven presidential candidates detained by Daniel Ortega’s Sandinista regime before the 2021 national elections. He was detained under inhumane conditions, isolated and without any communication with his family.
This documentary offers an intimate glimpse into a week in the life of Berta and Alejandra, and their quest for a miracle that might reunite them with Félix. Their story reflects the struggle of hundreds of families, who are fighting for the release of their loved ones imprisoned by the Ortega regime as it seeks to eliminate political dissidents in the country.
Director
Leonor Zúniga
Leonor Zúniga is a Nicaraguan filmmaker, cinematographer, and producer. She holds a Master’s in Documentary Film from Stanford University and a Master’s in Cinematography from Goldsmiths, University of London. She is a Fulbright and Chevening Scholar.
She has directed short films like Docktown (2016), Exiled (2019), and Madelaine (2022). She is the co-founder of Juli Films (2010-Present), where she has co-produced feature documentaries like El Canto de Bosawas (2014) and Patrol (2023), among others.
She was the cinematographer for the Belgian documentary Los minúsculos (Torino FF, 2021) and is the producer of the documentary Pantasma (in development), recognized with the first prize of the Open Doors program at the Locarno Film Festival. Her films have been selected at film festivals such as Hot Docs, Torino, Big Sky, Curta Cinema, St. Louis International, Mountain Film Festival, Tallgrass, San Diego Latino, among others.
She was selected by Estrategias y Negocios magazine as one of the 50 most innovative women in Central America (2022) and by Forbes on its list of 100 powerful women in Central America (2023). She lives in exile in Costa Rica. Leonor is co-founder and strategist of SE HUMANO (2021-Present), a permanent campaign against the torture of political prisoners in Nicaragua.