While You Return

Logline

A woman in exile fights to free her husband, a political prisoner in Nicaragua, while caring for their nine-year-old daughter.

Impact Statement

“We aim to raise awareness about arbitrary detention as a tool of repression and its impact on families, particularly children. Through While You Return and a practical manual created by families of political prisoners—including protagonist Berta Valle—we seek to support families during the critical first hours and days after an arrest with guidance, resources, and connection to trusted networks.

Our goal is to activate the manual through human rights organizations and family-led initiatives, using the film as an emotional entry point that mobilizes solidarity and concrete action.”

Partners Attached

• End Arbitrary Detention
• Fundación Libertad
• World Liberty Congress – Political Prisoners Support Team
• University of Virginia – Democratic Futures Project

Goal at Take on Film & Impact

“At Movies That Matter, we want to connect with human rights festival programmers and curators who can support strategic screenings of While You Return through partner festivals and curated events. We also seek alliances with NGOs and family-led organizations working on political prisoners, arbitrary detention, and freedom of expression, to help activate and disseminate our practical manual through trusted protection and support networks. We also hope to connect with impact producers leading similar campaigns and with funders supporting impact work on similar subjects.”

Participants

Leonor Zúniga is a Nicaraguan director, cinematographer, and impact producer, currently living in exile in Costa Rica. She holds an MA in Documentary Film from Stanford University and was recently selected for EURODOCS. She directed Exiled (2019), Madelaine (2022), and While You Return (2026), among other films. Her work has screened at festivals such as Hot Docs, One World, and Big Sky, and has been supported by programs including Locarno Open Doors and Visions Sud Est. She specializes in impact distribution and campaigns across Latin America, working at the intersection of filmmaking, human rights, and public advocacy. She is a producer of Patrol (2023), available on HBO Max and ARTE.

Berta Valle is a Nicaraguan journalist, human rights and pro-democracy activist with over two decades of experience in media and international advocacy. A former senior television anchor and General Manager of a major Central American TV network, she pioneered the use of mainstream media to advance democratic values. Forced into exile in 2018, she became a leading advocate for political prisoners after the arbitrary arrest of her husband, opposition leader Félix Maradiaga, in 2021, contributing to the release of 222 prisoners in 2023. She co-founded End Arbitrary Detention and the World Liberty Congress Political Prisoner Support Team.

Contact: Leonor ZúnigaWatch the trailer