A story that could never be forgotten is finally being told on the big screen.

Fireflies at El Mozote, the highest-budget film ever produced in El Salvador, is now playing in theaters across the United States—more than 15 years after it first began development.

Filmed entirely on location, the movie brings to life the story of El Mozote, a small village in Morazán that became the site of one of the most devastating events in modern Latin American history.

In December 1981, during the Salvadoran civil war, military forces entered the region as part of an operation against guerrilla groups. Over the course of several days, approximately 1,000 civilians were killed, many of them women and children.

The events of El Mozote have since been recognized as one of the largest civilian massacres in the region’s history.

For director Ernesto Melara, this film was more than a project—it was a mission. After years of work, Melara sadly passed away before seeing its release. The film now stands as both his legacy and a tribute to the victims whose stories it carries.

Now showing in over 40 theaters across 20 U.S. cities, Fireflies at El Mozote is more than a film.

It’s memory.

It’s history.

And for many, it’s long overdue.