A little more than a year after the shocking case that shook Colombia and Latin America, the story of the so-called Operation Hopea rescue mission that became a symbol of faith and hope, is now available through a unpublished documentary in MAX.
“Lost in the Amazon” It has audiovisual material and exclusive interviews about the 40 days of high tension experienced by a group of indigenous children who got lost in one of the largest and most problematic jungles in the world, in Colombia.
That is why To find out in more detail how this story was made, La Cuarta had the opportunity to talk with those responsible to capture in streaming the stories in flesh and blood of what “Lost in the Amazon” is: Jaime Escallón (Colombian producer), José Castaño (journalist) and Cristina Nieto (Spanish director).
40 days of tension
For several weeks, teams from the Military Forces, emergency agencies and local indigenous communities in the Colombian Amazon joined forces to carry out the search and find four Mucutuy brothers lost after a plane crashinstance in which all the adults who were also on the plane accompanying the minors died.
“What we did was approach all the people who had experienced this to have their testimony. We talk to the people who experienced thiswe introduce ourselves to the protagonists: the children’s grandparents”; Jaime Escallón mentioned for La Cuarta.
“What you see in the documentary, what happens during the 40 days, is what happened as is. That was the most important exercise that we wanted to do with Cristina -director-, tell a moving storyshow the mystical elements in which the Colombian army joined and worked with the indigenous people. “We wanted to do it in an honest, simple and organic way”; she added.
Synopsis
Specifically, “Lost in the Amazon” portrays the more than 1,250 kilometers traveled in the Amazon between the departments of Caquetá and Guaviare, by 120 uniformed personnel, 70 indigenous people, helicopters and rescue dogs that participated in the search.
Throughout the story, the events that occurred are reconstructed since last May 15, 2023until the day the brothers were found alive; when rescuers found the aircraft HK2803, crashed and the lifeless bodies of three adults, but no trace of the children.
Weather conditions were one of the main challenges who had both military in charge of search and rescue, natives who helped at the scene, and the press who arrived at the scene to be part of the investigation, search and collection of information that would help and contribute to the search for the brothers.
In addition, José Castaño, journalist who was present at the scene and who also appears in the documentary telling his testimony; He revealed to La Cuarta that for him all this “It was a very meaningful experience.. Even at times it surpasses you due to the weather conditions, the jungle and the exuberance. Many things were combined, since the feeling of uncertainty, fear and trepidation were there.”
“Days before the children’s meeting, we saw an old camp of the FARC dissidentsfrom the guerrilla, then they moved forward with great fear”; added the journalist.
“The detail that drew attention was that The soldiers were shouting the children’s names all the time, especially the oldest girl’s name.. Helicopters flew over the jungle, which also They made their grandmother’s call sound at maximum volumeHowever, when the soldiers talked among themselves and I asked them something, They always whispered back to mewhich is the way in which they are usually used to to go through the jungle, always speaking in a whisper”.
“This was a practical contradiction because There was no point in whispering when there was such bustle around them.; but it seems to me that It gives you a little idea of how fear and the need to move forward were mixed there.”; shared José Castaño about his experience in the jungle during the days of searching.
“Lost in the Amazon” now available for streaming
This unprecedented documentary produced by En Cero Coma Producciones (Fremantle) and Lulo Filmsit is already found available through the MAX streaming platform; which offers a deep and emotional look at the events surrounding Operation Hope, showing the world the particularities of what for many was considered a miracle.
“This is a bit of the proposal we make from the documentary. Not only emotionally, but also invite the viewer to reflect on certain details of what happened during those forty days. And the pause of being able to see it a year later, I think it gives you a more complete photograph of what happened”; added and concluded the director, Cristina Nieto, for La Cuarta.
