FilmRise presents "FINDING OSCAR," the new documentary about the ongoing search for justice in the case of the Dos Erres massacre in Guatemala in 1982.
Executive produced by Steven Spielberg (Schindler's List), produced by Frank Marshall (Sully, Raiders of the Lost Ark) and directed by Ryan Suffern, "FINDING OSCAR" will have its Los Angeles theatrical premiere on April 21.
The film had its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival.
In October of 1982, amid Guatemala's 30-year civil war, guerillas in the north ambush a convoy of Guatemalan soldiers, making off with roughly 20 rifles.
This is seen as a humiliating defeat for the military, and in retaliation, two dozen army commandos -- an elite squad known as Kaibiles, many of whom were trained by U.S. forces -- dress up as guerilla soldiers and invade the jungle hamlet of Dos Erres.
The attack takes place two days after President Reagan endorses Guatemalan general RÃos Montt.
The Kaibiles kill everyone in their wake, dumping bodies of over 200 victims, the majority of whom were women and children, into the village well.
A search reveals no weapons, including the missing rifles, are not found in Dos Erres.
"Finding Oscar" follows the stories of two little boys, Oscar and Ramiro, who were abducted during the genocide in Dos Erres and raised by the very soldiers who murdered their familis.
These boys offer the only living evidence that ties the Guatemalan government and the Kaibiles to the massacre.
Documentarian Ryan Suffern follows the men and women who have spent nearly three decades looking for answers -- from the human-rights worker Aura Elena Fárfan, who was the first to hear the story of Dos Erres, to the forensic anthropologist Fredy Peccerelli, who works relentlessly to identify victims and contact their families in search for justice.
"Finding Oscar" tracks the dangerous journey of the rookie Guatemalan prosecutor Sara Romero, who took on her own government, and the U.S. immigration agents who followed the trail of evidence and began rounding up the war criminals they found living in the states.
In a country built on impunity, this dedicated team continues to seek justice to this day, uncovering truths more significant than anyone could have imagined.
"Finding Oscar" is directed and produced by Ryan Suffern, with Frank Marshall (The Color Purple, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Sully, The BFG) as producer and Steven Spielberg as Executive Producer.
