US Army soldier Vanessa Guillen always dreamed of joining the military, but everything shattered once she was stationed at Fort Hood in Texas. In 2020, after telling her mother she was being sexually harassed on the base, Guillen was murdered by a fellow soldier. Her family, incensed by the Army’s lack of action, refused to stay silent about the botched investigation and its potential connection to sexual harassment at the base — sparking an international movement of assault victims demanding justice. The documentary I Am Vanessa Guillen follows her family’s fight for historic military reform, a journey that takes them to the Oval Office.

The release date 

I Am Vanessa Guillen is available to stream Nov. 17. 

The trailer

Watch the I Am Vanessa Guillen trailer below.

The interviewees

Guillen’s mother, Gloria Guillen, and her sisters, Marya and Lupe Guillen, are interviewed in I Am Vanessa Guillen, along with reporters who covered the case.

The story

Army Specialist Vanessa Guillen went missing in Texas on April 22, 2020. When her mother and sisters traveled to Killeen, Texas, to search for her, the Army’s criminal investigation unit did little to help them. Outraged at the Army’s denials and lack of action, the family began posting online using the now-viral hashtag #IAmVanessaGuillen and publicly pressured Fort Hood for answers. Their pursuit eventually led to the truth about Guillen’s disappearance and to Congress enacting legislation that would help prevent crimes within the military from being covered up.

The location

Guillen was stationed at the Fort Hood base in Killeen, where her mother and sisters went to search for her and find answers.