STRANDED

In 1972 a plane carrying an Uruguayan Rugby team on its way to a competition in Chile crashed in the snowy Andean Cordillera mountains. 72 days after the crash and just before Christmas, 16 out of the 45 people who had been on board were brought back to civilisation alive. Their sensational story of survival was reported around the world as it emerged that, in order to live the young men had taken the grave decision to eat the flesh of those who had died. 35 years after the crash, director Gonzalo Arijon, an old friend of the survivors, tackles this dramatic tale which has already been the subject of several documentaries and a feature film. He accompanies those who had been on board the fateful Flight 571 along with their relatives to the scene of the accident in the aptly named Valley of Tears. In frank interviews the men recount their experiences, remember their fallen teammates and perhaps, more importantly, reflect on the impact that their ordeal had on their subsequent lives. Soberly and with all due respect, Arijon's film tells a remarkable tale of human resilience.

Award: Joris Ivens Jury Award, IDFA Amsterdam 2007

http://strandedthefilm.com