While “Sully” (our review) earned plenty of headlines out of the Telluride Film Festival, there was another project at the fest that also involved Steven Spielberg and Frank Marshall. The pair are producers on the documentary “Finding Oscar,” which is not about their perpetual hunt for Academy love, but instead shines a light on a horrific massacre.
Directed by Ryan Suffern (Spielberg’s Production Assistant on “Munich,” “War Of The Worlds,” and “The Terminal“), the film focuses on the Dos Erres massacre, which came in the wake of the U.S. government-supported military coup of the Guatemalan government in the 1980s. Here’s the official synopsis:
In 1982, a Guatemalan military dictatorship, enthusiastically supported by the Reagan administration, came to power in a coup and dedicated itself to eradicating a leftist insurgency. In the ensuing civil war, the army massacred an estimated 200,000 peasants. Ryan Suffern’s documentary, produced by Frank Marshall, begins at the remarkable discovery of a witness to one horrific massacre, a discovery that makes it possible for civil rights activists to seek a modicum of justice. In telling this astonishing story, Suffern focuses on the meticulous forensic detective work that was crucial to establishing that the atrocity had occurred, and the relentless work by activists and lawyers, who patiently worked to build a case and bring the perpetrators to justice. In an ironic turn of events, even the American government plays a role in doing what is right.
No more fest appearances or release dates for the movie yet — it needs a distributor — but the trailer below provides a look at what seems like a powerful tale.
