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Posted Feb. 15, 2007, 11:21 a.m. PT
Jennifer Lopez's New Movie About The Murdered Women of Juarez
By Ann Magnuson
Kudos to J. Lo, Antonio Banderas and their director Gregory Nava for making "Bordertown', a feature film that finally investigates the horrific murders of hundreds of girls and young women in Juarez, Mexico. The film premieres this week at the Berlin Film Festival and hopefully the collective star power of Banderas and Lopez will help get this film a U.S. distributor....which won't be easy considering the cast and director received numerous death threats during production.
Last August the PBS show "P.O.V." ran Lourdes Portillo's documentary "Señorita Extraviada" a harrowing portrait of sadism which explained in detail the nightmare that is occuring right next door to us in the border town of Juarez. I don't think I've ever been more sickened in my life - not only by the crimes but the U.S. apathy (considering many of the murdered girls are workers in U.S. factories south of the border). The video above is from the MadMedia/RESET production "POCHO/A" and features spoken word performer Amalia Ortiz who explains it all for you. What in the hell can we do to stop these murders - besides watching movies about them???
From the L.A. Times:
When they began shooting "Bordertown," the new Jennifer Lopez film about the hundreds of murdered women of Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, director Gregory Nava and executive producer Barbara Martinez Jitner expected that their movie would stir up strong reactions. Already, they allege, those reactions have included death threats against Nava and the cast, stolen equipment and intimidation of a film crew member during shooting in Mexico.
Since 1993, the bodies of more than 400 female victims, many raped and mutilated, have been found in the area around Ciudad Juárez, a sprawling metropolis where many poor women work for maquiladoras (factories). Scores of additional women throughout the region, across the Rio Grande from El Paso, Texas, have been reported missing.
Speaking by phone recently while en route to the Berlin Film Festival, where the film will have its world premiere Thursday, Nava said he's not surprised by the film's hostile reception in some quarters, given the issues that "Bordertown" raises and the blame for the murders that it assigns not only to the Mexican government but to the United States and to the multinational assembly plants spawned by the North American Free Trade Agreement.
"There are very powerful forces involved, you're going to be attacked," said Nava, a Mexican American who was born in San Diego. "I expect the Mexican government to get very upset about it."........."I felt it was really something that was screaming to be talked about and brought to the surface," said Lopez, speaking by phone from Madrid. "What we hope to do with the movie is just getting people aware of what's going on down there.
Comments
Its weird how we as a people ( the U.S. ) are apathetic to death and destruction when it does not concern our economic growth...considering that we have religious zealot in the white House you would think it would be the opposite....why do the troops not go in and stop this or the mass holocaust in Darfur....? We tend to live in the past and hold the Nazi death camps up on a pedestal of genocide while ignoring the genocide going on today.I ts not even whats going on in africa or Mexico but Iraq as well;who cares for the thousands of displaced lives and innocent people being massacred ( some by U.S. troops as acts of vengeance )....i dont know I always say I a just visiting this planet and that I look forward to leaving it when my lie cycle runs out...
Posted at 2:33 p.m. PT on Feb 15, 2007 by Randy Focazio
i have seen the film and found it just as the director intended it to be i live here in juarez and yes the government says that there are only 300 dead more or less i wouldnt know, there is a devil worshiping sect here in juarez and many believe that this is part of what is really happening here in juarez i know that it might sound some what weird or fuuny but this sect does exist and the many big name families with money belong to it and yes we do shut up about it becouse we are afraid that we might get killed like one of the bus drivers that were captured by the police and then killed by them this might be to much what im saying but maybe not much was really said and the big name families were changed many say that in el cerro del caballo in the other side of the mountain, rituals are being held by these worshipers i whish i could say more but maybe by posting this comment even my life can be in danger.
Posted at 9:43 p.m. PT on Mar 18, 2007 by martin guerra
I live in El Paso, TX. I am very familiar with Juarez, Mexico. Juarez is a very dangerous city. The level of corruption of city officials is unbelievable. Corrupted cops, narcotraficants and gang members rule the night. The big fish eats the little fish. Either you conform and pay the pipper or you get eaten. I have been forced to paid hundreds of dollars in bribes to cops. I bear a facial scar that is the product of an encounter with 3 heavily armed Aztec gang members. They not only rule in Juarez butthey also rule the jails in El Paso.
Women are a dime to a dozen. Many women come to Juarez from other Southern towns with the hope to earn better money, cross the border and/or to marry an American tourist. Sadly, they are used and abused. Some are easily drugged,taken advantage off and left alone, while others are not so lucky. I have been in the places where bodies of dead women have been found.
This is a very sad story that needs to be told. There is no way that this movie can tell all that is happenning in Juarez. This is just a piece of a very large puzzle...
Posted at 10:11 a.m. PT on May 12, 2007 by LTC Frank Rodriguez
How long do these women have to wait for them to feel safe in Juarez, Mexico? This is a question that I wish the answer could be now. I believe the corruption in this city will prevent an answer we all would pray to be. It may never be safe and it is unfortunate no one in our government or the Mexican government is going to great lenths to stop whatever evil group that is commiting such horrendous crimes.
Posted at 9:36 a.m. PT on Jul 12, 2007 by Brian
read the nonfiction book by the El Paso Times reporter about the juarez murders.
Posted at 5:14 p.m. PT on Sep 13, 2007 by Carl Wong Whittley
My boyfriend asked me to visit with him to see his grandmother, i recently watched the movie and was in shock, i would like to help many of the women in San Juan.
Posted at 9:59 p.m. PT on Feb 08, 2008 by Angela Barrera
My church wants to send youths to Juarez to build houses on a mission. I was surprised to think that they don't know what has happened there. I am trying to gather information on the current level of safety for 2008. I want to discourage the group from going. From what I can tell, it is still unsafe.
Posted at 7:51 p.m. PT on Mar 31, 2008 by Sandra Rogers
I just watched this movie and it was very eye opening. My husband and I are supposed to go to San Juarez soon. so THANKS to everyone for making this movie, and putting it out there for everyone to know the truth. THANK YOU
Posted at 3:18 a.m. PT on May 17, 2008 by Kimberly Lopez
I really feel for the women who have to feel unsafe every day when all they are trying to do is provide for their families. My husband is from Oaxaca, Mexico the same city as the actress in the movie. We know how hard it is to provide for our family still in Oaxaca. Thank God we can afford to support them so they don't have to go through the same thing. I wish we could help those women or find places that coudl really help them. Nobody deserves to go through that sort of thing especially honest hard working people just trying to work to survive. My heart and my prayers go out to the victims and their famileis. I wish that our government would stop spending all our money on war and spend it to help those women.
Posted at 3:30 a.m. PT on May 17, 2008 by Kimberly Lopez
I accidently saw that movie on show time movies yesterday while flipping through the channels and its amazing at the corruption level of the mexican police officials and the anarchy caused by the lawless groups. Its really sad to know about the plight of these poor women for whom nobody seems to be bothered... Has there been any progress on these cases after the movie ?
Posted at 11:40 a.m. PT on Sep 18, 2008 by Danish
To the families, and the women that have passed on and are finally at rest you have my heart. I hope that some day we the people can join not as a americans but world wide to make this world relise the strougles,heartackes,sweet shoppes to stop and help those that need it. We amercans can do something about Iraq for the damn oil but not those that help are children get the education are children need. Schools need computers and I am sad to say that I am using a computer that women died to support there family. We take these things for granted. Please come together to make sure the women in Juarez safe we can speak out for them too. They are cryen for help we need to help them, if your child is late from coming home from school you think the worest. Well the worest has happened to these women what r u going to do about it?
Posted at 10:45 a.m. PT on Oct 03, 2008 by Kevona
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