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ABUELAS- GRANDMOTHERS ON A MISSION

By Noemi WEIS

FILMBLANC - as PROD

Historical - Completed 2012

For three decades, Argentina's courageous Grandmothers, or “Abuelas”, have been searching for their grandchildren: the children of their sons and daughters who disappeared during Argentina's "dirty war." The film is a tribute to these women who dedicated their lives to honoring a generation lost.

- Year of production
- 2012
- Genres
- Historical
- Countries
- CANADA
- Languages
- SPANISH
- Director(s)
- Noemi WEIS
- Writer(s)
- Noemi WEIS
- Producer(s)
- Noemi WEIS (Filmblanc)
- Synopsis
- Abuelas- Grandmothers on a Mission had its World Premiere at the Female Eye Film Festival this past june.
  For three decades, Argentina's courageous Grandmothers, or “Abuelas”, have been searching for their grandchildren: the children of their sons and daughters who disappeared during Argentina's "dirty war."
  Although many may know about the plight of the tens of thousands who disappeared in Argentina during the military junta from 1976 to 1982, much less is known about their children that were left behind: a generation that survived, but were kidnapped and relocated to families linked with the regime that murdered their parents. Research has shown us that the majority of people are unaware of the Grandmothers’ work to find their grandchildren and the extent of their labour, which still continues to this day.
  Our film takes place in Argentina, but the story resonates universally, particularly through the themes- loss of family, identity, family reunification, a mother's love and a grandmother's determination.
  Initially, these women, mothers devastated by the loss of their children, joined together as the well-known “Madres of Plaza de Mayo” to try and find their disappeared children, but they had something more in common; their grandchildren were missing too. They began a new campaign to find the grandchildren and let them know that their biological families wanted them back. Finding the children became their mantra, and the "Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo" was born.
  Over the years, the Abuelas' dedicated and ingenious detective work broke new forensic ground and won the group the nickname "The Sherlock Holmes of Argentina."
  This film documents their painstaking work and its results -- dramatic, inspiring and sometimes controversial -- as the grandmothers make contact with grandchildren who have grown up living lies created by their adoptive parents. In the early years, when the children were young, the mission was to return them to their real families, but as they became adults the message was about identity. Some, too pained by the discovery, remained with the families who raised them. Others returned to their blood relatives. Their tireless work continues till today.
  “ Abuelas” is a tribute to these women who have dedicated their lives to honoring a generation lost, with their quest for a generation found.
  It highlights the justice they are seeking for their children's murder, their drive to find their grandchildren, and their international status speaking out for family reunification. Once ordinary Argentinean women, they have gained the respect of all who know their work.
  These grandmothers have become everyone’s Abuelas.
  “Abuelas, Grandmothers on a mission” is a film about women working together and the power and strength that their unity bears. It carries a universal message and one of inspiration for all people.