The story of an Oregon man’s 50-year search for his long-lost sister – first told in a 2005 Newschannel-8 special report - is now a documentary film debuting this week at the Portland International Film Festival.

 VIDEO: KGW report on 'Where's Molly' documentary
 More: Molly's story leads to another family's reunion

"Where's Molly?" begins in the 1950’s, when Jeff Daly and his sister Molly were children. A doctor diagnosed her as developmentally disabled, and Molly went to live at the Fairview Center in Salem, then called “The Institution for the Feeble Minded.” It was the last time Jeff would see her for decades.

Pictures of Molly Jo Daly from inside the institution bear little resemblance to most children's photos. It’s not a class picture, instead resembling a mug shot. In one, the 11-year-old Molly is holding a reader board bearing her name, age, and birthdate. It, and others like it, chronicle life in an institution.

KGW photo

A photo of Molly from inside the institution.

At the same time, Jeff was growing up in Astoria. He constantly asked his parents about the sister who disappeared when he was six.

“Where’s Molly?” he questioned his parents. He never got an answer. They didn’t want to talk about it.

In 2004, Jeff Daly’s parents died. He found a note with Molly’s name and a phone number inside his father’s wallet. Daly began looking for his sister, and cut through the red tape of privacy laws to eventually find her in a Hillsboro group home.

KGW photo

Molly visits Portland's Pioneer Square.

Molly’s story was far from unique. According to Daly, a half-million children landed in institutions during the 1950s.

Inspired by their search, and frustrated by the effort required, Jeff Daly and his wife Cindy helped pass Molly's Law in 2005, establishing an easier process for other families to find siblings who had been institutionalized in Oregon.

At the same time, Jeff was using his professional skills to tell Molly’s story. A professional cameraman, he and Cindy spent three years filming, writing and producing the documentary, “Where’s Molly?”

They hope the film helps reunite more families, and helps bring attention to the treatment of people with disabilities, and helps them gain more acceptance.

"I think people who see the film are going to learn that people were isolated from society, and shouldn't have been. It's time for us to bring them back into society and recognize them," Jeff Daly said.

The film premieres February 17th at the Portland International Film Festival. When it does, Jeff and Molly will be there.

"To be able to celebrate together in a movie experience on a big screen, it's a dream. Nobody could come up with a story line like that," Daly said.

"47-years, she's been by herself without a familiy connection. Now is the chance to lay it out for her. Molly, you are a star, and this is all about you."

However, beyond stardom, the most important thing Jeff and Molly have found is the powerful love of a brother and a sister.

Note: "Where's Molly?" premieres Saturday, February 17th at 6:30p.m at the Whitsell Auditorium and again on Monday,February 19th at the Broadway Regal Theater.

More information is available at www.nwfilm.org and click on PIFF