After the drama, the film. A documentary is being prepared in Colombia to tell the unlikely story of four indigenous children lost in the Amazon jungle after a plane crash. And this, just two weeks after the miraculous outcome of their 40-day journey. The affair is followed in high places: it is the Colombian president in person, Gustavo Petro, who is responsible for announcing the project. Commissioned by the government, the documentary was entrusted to the multi-award-winning British producer, Simon Chinn, known in particular for having taken part in the development of the cult film, Searching for Sugar Man.
“I had a first meeting with a person who won two Oscars in the field of documentary cinema,” President Petro replied to journalists who asked him about a possible production based on the incredible story of the siblings: Lesly (13 years old), Soleiny (9 years old), Tien Noriel (5 years old) and Cristin (1 year old). “We must speak to the family, to the indigenous communities (and) to open the image bank of archives”, indicated Gustavo Petro from Paris where he took part in the Summit for a new global financial pact.
On Thursday, the head of state published a portrait of him with Simon Chinn. In addition to Searching for Sugar Man (2012), directed by Malik Bendjelloul, the producer also worked on the documentary Le funambule (2008), directed by James Marsh. Both films won Oscars. “Thank you very much, Mr President. It is an honor (…) to make the documentary on this inspiring story”, reacted Simon Chinn on his Twitter account.
The children are still in the recovery phase at the Central Military Hospital in Bogotá “with an improvement (…) in appetite, weight gain and adequate tolerance to the ingestion of food”, indicated the hospital in its latest newsletter, Wednesday. Wilson, an army detection dog who allegedly made first contact with the siblings days before the children were found, remains missing.
Some 70 soldiers are still trying to find the six-year-old Belgian shepherd Malinois. Via the change.org platform, more than 100,000 people are calling on the government “not to abandon efforts to find the brave little dog”. The military said the search would continue for a “reasonable” time.
