In December 1972, the world was shocked by the miraculous story of 16 young men—Uruguayan rugby players—who went to extraordinary measures to survive 72 days after their plane crashed high in the Andes. It’s one of the great survival stories of all time, and now, 35 years later, director Gonzalo Arijon has carefully crafted this compelling documentary from first-person stories told by each of the 16 survivors. Without hope of rescue (survivors had an intact radio that broadcast reports of search efforts being called off), and after much soul searching, those who didn’t die in the crash resorted to their last option for food: human flesh. Nando Parrado, who will join us for a Q & A after the film, was one of two heroic survivors who climbed through the snowy Andes for 10 days in search of help. (France, 2007, 130 min)
—Emily Long