The Quiet One

What happens when a man who has spent his life documenting history, finally steps into his own?

In 1975, Oscar Gutierrez fled Guatemala’s civil war with nothing but grit and a dream. He reinvented himself in the U.S., then followed a calling to South Africa on the brink of democracy. Behind the lens, Oscar captured liberation’s quiet moments — so quietly that Nelson Mandela called him “the quiet one.”

But behind the silence was heartbreak: Oscar had lost his son, Hawk, for 35 years. On New Year’s Eve 2022, Hawk reached out. Father and son began the fragile work of reunion — across decades, continents, and silence itself.

The Quiet One is a feature documentary about exile and belonging, memory and repair — a father and son finding their way back to each other, set against the rebirth of a nation.

We’ve secured funding from South Africa’s NFVF and GFC, partnered with sales agent Truly Good Films, and built global momentum. Now we need your help to take the story home: to Guatemala, where Oscar’s journey began.

Goal: $22,189 / R412,720

Your support will fund a lean 7-day shoot in Guatemala to capture the voices and images that complete this story. Every contribution matters. Every share spreads the word.

Together, we can carry this film — and this love story — all the way home.