Controversy Erupts As Colombian President Allows Hollywood To Portray Miracle Jungle Survivor Kids' Story

The race among Hollywood filmmakers to portray the gripping rescue of four children, who survived a plane crash deep in the Colombian jungle, has resulted in a bitter dispute between the country's president and the Indigenous group to which the children belong.

The miraculous discovery of these children, ranging in age from 1 to 13, after 40 days after the fatal crash that claimed the lives of all the adults they were traveling with, captured global attention.

However, the Huitoto Indigenous group, to which the children belong, is now enraged by President Gustavo Petro of Colombia granting approval for a Hollywood documentary recounting their incredible tale of survival.

According to reports, over 13 Hollywood production companies have been engaged in negotiations with the families of the children in an attempt to obtain permission to recount their stories.

Additionally, it has been reported that both Netflix and National Geographic have dispatched crews to the location to create content related to the incident.

The children's grandparents were offered "a substantial contract from a U.S. company, but they rejected it when they saw that it included a clause that granted the company rights in perpetuity," according to Spain's El Pais.

During a climate summit in Paris, Colombian President Gustavo Petro shared a photo on Twitter alongside British documentary filmmaker Simon Chinn, who is recognized for his two-time Oscar-winning film "Man on Wire" depicting Philippe Petit's tightrope walk between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center.

President Petro stated that he had reached an agreement for Chinn to collaborate with Colombian TV, led by director Hollman Morris, to recount the story of the children's rescue.

Meanwhile, the children's grandparents reportedly declined a substantial contract offered by a U.S. company due to concerns regarding perpetual rights.

As per reports, lawyers representing the indigenous group have urged producers to present offers that would benefit the entire community of Araracuara, the children's place of origin.

"Muchas gracias, senor Presidente," Chinn tweeted in reply. "It's our great honor ... to make the documentary about this inspirational Colombian story."

"We express our rejection of the announcement of this documentary production, since the decision was taken unilaterally by the national government, unaware that the search work was carried out by the teams of indigenous peoples from the area and relatives in the beginning, and only later by the military forces," the National Organization of Indigenous Peoples of the Colombian Amazon said in a public statement.

Following the rescue, the children, currently undergoing recovery at a military hospital in Bogota, are under the custody of Family Welfare, the government's child protection agency.

Reports have surfaced alleging that their father, Manuel Ranoque, subjected both his wife and the children to abuse.

President Petro has made efforts to ease tensions with Indigenous leaders in the aftermath of the rescue, New York Post reported.

In a gesture of recognition, Petro awarded 86 medals to the rescuers, commending their exceptional efforts, along with those of Colombia's military, in saving the children's lives.

"The military with its satellites, and the Indigenous people with their potions — including ayahuasca — and invoking the spirits of the jungle, together, found life," Petro said during the ceremony in front of the presidential palace in Bogota.

"We have to talk with the family, with the Indigenous communities (and) open the archive of images," Petro told journalists after his announcement that Colombian TV would work with Chinn and his Lightbox production company.