FIREFLIES AT EL MOZOTE
1981. The armed conflict in Central America rages. In El Salvador, a right-wing
government and leftist guerrillas are deadlocked in a bloody fratricidal war. In the United
States, a shift in public opinion sparked by reports of human rights violations threatens
US military aid to the country, shifting the momentum in favor of a guerrilla victory. The
military escalates the violence.
The small village of EL MOZOTE, in Morazán province, is a peaceful enclave of
Catholics and Evangelicals coexisting in harmony. On the morning of December 10,
government troops under the command of Lieutenant Coronel REYNALDO
MONTENEGRO raid the village and massacre the entire population. Over a thousand
people die.
JOSE GUEVARA, 12, hides in a filthy hole in the rainforest surrounding the village and
survives the massacre. He is found days later by the guerrilla unit in charge of RADIO
VENCEREMOS, under the command of AURELIO, the shrewd guerrilla leader.
Following Aurelio’s orders, the clandestine radio station moves constantly, broadcasting
from different locations in the jungle, keeping one step ahead of Montenegro’s troops.
The trauma of losing his family thrusts José into a deep depression resulting in the loss
of his speech. ALMA, a courageous guerrilla sniper protects the boy. Aurelio and the
political arm of the FMLN contact RANDALL WALKER, correspondent for The New York
Times, and smuggle him into Morazán Province, with photojournalist SARAH MASON.
The visit of the journalists to the site of the massacre allows Montenegro to locate and attack the
elusive radio station, inflicting a devastating defeat to the guerrillas.
After a near-death experience José recovers his speech and reminds Aurelio of his
objectives in taking up arms. Faced with the certainty that Montenegro’s death is
strategic to the survival of Radio Venceremos, Aurelio and his guerrillas craft a new plan
to eliminate him. Obsessed with the destruction of the rebel radio, and pressured by his
higher-ups to silence it before the US Congress vote on the next round of military aid to
the country, Montenegro falls into their trap and plummets to his death in his helicopter.
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