By Kevin Hylton
January 17, 2003
Do you know who Ingrid Betancourt is? Odds are you don’t. Chances are you did not see the brief sound bites on American news broadcasts regarding the abduction of one of Columbia’s presidential candidates for 2003. On February 23, 2002, Ingrid Betancourt and her vice presidential running mate, Clara Rojas, were captured by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) while they were driving to the town of San Vicente del Caguan. MISSING PEACE, a feature-length documentary film directed by Karin Hayes and Victoria Bruce premiering at Slamdance 2003, is the first cinematic in-depth look at a wound in Colombia that has begun to turn septic.
Estimates suggest that in Colombia, between two and three thousand people are abducted annually by the FARC. After the fall of Colombia’s primary drug lords, the FARC began to control a large portion of the production of narcotics within the country. According to Bruce, some suggest the FARC is generating over seven hundred million dollars a year in income from the narcotics trade. “So now you have a guerilla army that has virtually an endless source of income which makes them stronger than the actual army,” Bruce said. The FARC’s abductions seem to be motivated by both financial and political desires. Frequently, innocents are captured simply to provide the FARC with a second form of income. In the case of Ingrid Betancourt, the abduction was political. Three days after her kidnapping, a FARC commander said the rebels would free Betancourt if the Colombian government released around 200 imprisoned guerrillas. No deal was made at that time.
On the day of Ingrid’s capture, Karin Hayes and Victoria Bruce were preparing for their trip to Colombia. They were all set to begin their documentary and tell the story of a woman who was trying to ascend to the presidency and cut through the layers of political corruption in Colombia. While on a trip to New York, Hayes was informed that Betancourt had been abducted and their film’s future quickly was becoming uncertain. How do you tell the story of a person who is in captivity? “We decided that we had to have Ingrid tell her story. We found out that she had done some interviews in English in the United States and in the Netherlands. We tracked down about five of those radio and TV interviews and from there we pieced together her story,” Hayes recounted.
Colombia’s election laws allow for a person who is not physically present to still be eligible for election to the presidency. As a result, Juan Carlos, Betancourt’s husband who previously worked in advertising, carried on the campaign with the aid of Ingrid’s father and mother and other family members. The family hoped that Ingrid would be elected. They knew this was unlikely but thought that the publicity would itself perhaps lead the FARC to release her sooner.
To tell the story of the abduction and the presidential campaign, Hayes and Bruce traveled to Colombia to meet with Ingrid’s two children, husband, and parents. Hayes assembled a crew including cameraman Cesar Pinzon. Pinzon was shooting for Ingrid’s campaign and was with Ingrid when she was abducted by the FARC in February. The cameraman was never taken captive and was able to keep the still photos he took of the capture, which make their way into the film. Choosing Pinzon “was one of the best decisions we made because not only was [Ingrid’s husband and family] very comfortable with him but [Pinzon] also has sixteen brothers and sisters. Six of them are involved in the media. His wealth of resources was great.”
Karin Hayes and Victoria Bruce, whose parents were friends since elementary school, are both on their way to Park City, Utah for the Slamdance Film Festival. This is their first film. Bruce is a published author on the topic of geology and Hayes is a filmmaker who has worked on documentaries for Discovery, PBS, and National Geographic. If you’re in Park City next week not only can you see the film but Ingrid’s husband will be doing a reading of his wife’s book UNTIL DEATH DO US PART at Dolly’s bookstore as well. There will be a reading and discussion with the filmmakers on Sunday, January 19, 2003 at 2pm and January 22, 2003 at 4pm. Screenings of the film, MISSING PEACE, will take place at the Treasure Mountain Inn (at the top of Main Street) on Monday, January 20, 2003 at 6pm and Thursday January 23, 2003 at 3:30pm.
For more information about this film and the struggle to free Betancourt check out the website at www.missingpeace.info.
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