FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: 
Dawn Quiett
(214) 957-0224
dawnquiett@yahoo.com

Dallas Film Producer Hot on the Trail of Chilling Story

DALLAS, TX – Filmmaking and storytelling is not only Andy Streitfeld’s business, it’s also his passion. If a shot is important to a story, he’s willing to travel to the ends of the earth to get it. That’s precisely where he’s headed, and, in this case, the ends of the earth is just the beginning of his journey to tell the amazing, never been told story of Nando Parrado's survival after the 1972 plane crash of Uruguayan Flight 571. 

“Nando is a true hero,” Streitfeld, CEO of Dallas-based AMS Pictures says. “Though some of the more sensational aspects of the story are fairly well known, there has never been a film that tells the real story, the whole story, and that’s precisely our goal.”  The plane crash was the subject of the 1993 film Alive starring Ethan Hawke.

On Saturday, January 16, Streitfeld will trek across treacherous terrain to a cold, desolate place, 12,000 feet above sea level in the Andes Mountains of Argentina. Two days of his journey will be on horseback. His destination is the Valle de las Lagrimas (“Valley of Tears”), site of one the most incredible and inspiring survival stories of all time.

“I’ve been a businessman and filmmaker for 30 years but I never thought of myself as an adventurer,” says Streitfeld. “Now I’m packing gear and preparing for the adventure of a lifetime to pursue a story I feel compelled to tell.”

Streitfeld became fascinated with the story following a chance meeting with Nando Parrado, one of only 16 passengers who survived after a plane crash left them stranded in the perilous glacial peaks of the Andes. Within minutes after his first talk with Parrado, Streitfeld decided to produce a documentary film that tells the amazing 72-day survival story following the tragic crash in October, 1972. The plane was carrying 45 passengers, including the Uruguayan rugby team. One of them was rugby team member Nando Parrado. Streitfeld’s documentary, I Am Alive: Nando Parrado’s Story, chronicles the tragedy of Uruguayan Flight 571 and its aftermath through Parrado’s eyes.

The film features startling new details about the crash, the ensuing search efforts, and moment-by-moment firsthand accounts of the stranded passengers’ desperate struggle to survive. The film also includes rarely seen archival footage and photographs, period media coverage and new state-of-the-art computer animation.

Parrado, who lost his mother, sister and friends among the 29 victims of the plane crash, shares a complete, candid and unflinching account of the hellish 72 days of suffering that followed the crash, including the factors that led to his courageous decision to climb out of the frozen wilderness and —together with fellow survivor Roberto Canessa—save 15 others

“I’m pleased to have the opportunity to tell this story in a way that’s never been done before, and for a whole new generation of viewers,” says Parrado, who authored the bestseller Miracle in the Andes. “And while it’s not always an easy story to hear, I think the lessons it yields are more relevant than ever.”

On his journey to the crash site, Streitfeld will have no means of communication for four days except for a GPS locator, which will allow family and friends to track his movements. Led by renowned alpinist Ricardo Peña, Streitfeld will be accompanied by his son Daniel, who has been getting in shape for high-altitude hiking, and crash survivor Eduardo Strauch, one of Parrado’s rugby teammates. Streitfeld will be shooting footage, gathering information and gaining insights that will be essential ingredients of the story.

“I feel I need to go there, to see first-hand a place where nature is inhospitable to living things,” Streitfeld says. “The Andes play an important role in the story and I have to acquire a sense of the place in order to tell the story.”

I Am Alive: Nando Parrado’s Story will be released this fall. It is the latest production of the Original Programming division of AMS Pictures, which has produced more than 200 hours of high-definition, non-fiction entertainment.

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Streitfeld is available for interviews before he leaves on the 16th and after he returns on January 26, 2009. Please contact, Dawn Quiett to schedule. A trailer and images from the film are also available.

AMS Pictures is the largest media production company in the Southwest, helping corporate, institutional, and broadcast clients deliver their messaging with imagination, inspiration and impact. In addition to helping clients connect with their audiences, AMS Pictures has created hundreds of hours of high definition non-fiction entertainment for television, including original documentaries and character-driven reality series. AMS Pictures recently premiered Girl Meets Gown on WE Network and is in production on a television special starring legendary comedian Paul Mooney.

For more information about AMS Pictures, please visit www.amspictures.com