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Finding Mabel

A personal search for one of the 30,000 'Disappeared.'

Film – Los Angeles, San Francisco, and, United States
Indiegogo Partner Since 2009
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This campaign is fiscally sponsored by San Francisco Film Society and all donations are tax deductible.

Thank you for visiting this site to learn more about our film!  Though we are happy to report that this campaign has been successfully closed since we happily met our goal, we are still accepting contributions for the production of our film. Contributions can be made directly on the San Francisco Film Society (find our project alphabetically under "F" for "Finding Mabel" in the current projects tab) website and are all 100% tax-deductible!!!  We appreciate your interest and support, and hope you will consider contributing, following our progress on Facebook, or just telling a friend :)


Love & Gratitude

Eileen Mabel Reardon






Our Story


Argentinas repression (1976 to 1983), infamously known as the Dirty War,  claimed the lives of 30,000 victims.  These victims -- kidnapped, tortured, and assassinated by their own government -- are now referred to as the disappeared. Among them was a  young woman named Mabel Damora.


In the year 2011, some twenty eight years later, trials are being held in Argentina resulting in life sentences and substantial jail time for some of the perpetrators of these crimes against humanity. However, hundreds still remain unpunished.  With these trials, the victims and their families seek justice, peace of mind, and the knowledge that their loved ones did not die silently or in vain.  Still, the vast majority of the victims await this closure--Mabel can be counted amongst them.


In Finding Mabel, an American woman journeys to her parents homeland of Argentina to piece together the story of her namesake, Mabel Damora.  Through interviews and investigations, she learns about Mabel and contextualizes the dark years that claimed her life and the 30,000 like her.  With little more than a photograph and some of her parents memories, the jigsaw-like mystery of Mabels disappearance begins to take shape. What will she find along the way? Will she find Mabel? 

The Impact

As a first-generation-American born to two Argentine parents who fled for their lives during the Genocide, this story is a part of my history. My parents passed Mabel's name down to me, and it is an honor and a privilege to tell her story. 

In making this film, I wish to learn about and shed light on the hopes and intentions of an entire generation that was wiped out, making certain that this important time in history can but understood on a more profound level. I also wish to bring to light the daunting task that many Argentine's are dealing with today: seeking justice, reparation, and responsibility for what happened - not just from the top officials, but by all who were involved...  Including the U.S.  Most importantly, I wish to honor the memory of those 30,000 by gaining insight into the life of one.


With your support, I can make this project possible.


What We Need & What You Get

With the help of our friends, family, community, and fans, we traveled to Argentina in November for an invaluable trip.  We met and held interviews with The Human Rights League of Argentina, political activists, 'Dirty War' torture survivors, and even some of Mabel's family.  We went to a public trial for Jorge Rafael Videla (former Coup leader), and visited clandestine concentration camps.  We formed collaborations with fellow film makers, and retrieved invaluable stock footage.  It was a very successful trip, and we planted the seeds for our impending return...  That's where you come in.  We are now raising the $6,200 that, in addition to the grant money we are actively pursuing, will enable us to complete the production.


Other Ways You Can Help

You have no idea how easy it is to help!  If you have $20 bucks, terrific! If you don't, so what?  MABEL MONDAY MORNINGS starts today--that's where you help in a major way by POSTing this link on your Facebook page, TWEETing about our campaign, writing about us on your Blog, posting a WIDGET on your professional web-site or a link in your e-mails and/or getting the word out about Finding Mabel in any viral way you can think of on Monday mornings for the duration of the indie-gogo campaign.  It takes, literally, 10 seconds to do this, and this type of promotional help is invaluable and I promise you it will make a big difference! 

Team on This Campaign: