10 · 19 · 26

Suzanne Andrews Correa and the Cast of LA CAZADORA Present the Film at the 24th FICM

Omar Sosa

As part of the Official Selection of the 24th Morelia International Film Festival, the press conference for La cazadora, the debut film by Mexican-American screenwriter and director Suzanne Andrews Correa, took place.

Joining the filmmaker were producers Gabriela Mairé, Fabiola Velázquez, and Edher Campos; Adriana Paz, winner of three Ariel Awards and a collective award for Best Actress at the Cannes Film Festival for Emilia Pérez (2024, Dir. Jacques Audiard); Mexican rapper Eme MalaFe, making his feature-film acting debut; and cast members Jennifer Trejo and Guillermo Alonso.

Inspired by true events, La cazadora is set in the border city of Juárez, Mexico, where violence against women is perpetrated with impunity. The film follows the emergence of an unlikely defender who fights desperately to bring about change. Before its screening in Morelia, the film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize.

One of the experiences the filmmaker values ​​most from the entire process was the opportunity to spend time with the "searching mothers"—women looking for their missing loved ones—and other family members of the disappeared. She highlighted their resilience in carrying on and finding ways to improve their environment.

Regarding her research process, she noted that she knew from the start she wanted to create a work of fiction rather than a documentary, in order to avoid exposing the real-life person who served as her inspiration.

The director explained that the process was highly rigorous, as she aimed for a portrayal that closely reflected the reality in Juárez in 2013—a time when the city was just emerging from a severe security crisis. "Even though it’s fiction, it’s rooted in something real—in a texture that I hope the audience can truly feel," she remarked.

Meanwhile, Adriana Paz spoke about the challenge of playing the character of Luz. "It’s always difficult to take on a role like this, but it’s also necessary. For me, it will always be necessary," said the multi-award-winning actress, who believes it is of the utmost importance to share these stories and bring visibility to these women. "My approach is simply to show up and commit myself fully—to be present, talk to people, and get a feel for the place. Once you’ve gathered all the information, you just let it go; everything falls into place when you start living in that space, when filming begins, and you breathe that air," added Paz. She also highlighted the strength of the people of Juárez, who manage to hold onto their joy despite the hostility of their surroundings.

Rapper Eme MalaFe shared his experience venturing into acting. At first, he struggled to understand his character, Jaime, but filming allowed him to grasp his attitude: “When you’re there, you realize there’s no way to defend it, you realize it’s a gigantic monster that invades an entire society. It’s not something you can fight with punches or go out and defend yourself; it’s something that overwhelms you.” He also confessed that, despite having grown up in a high-risk neighborhood, the filming locations gave him a constant sense of danger.

Adding to this, Andrews Correa noted that, despite the dark atmosphere of the locations where they filmed, it is very important to her that the audience does not walk away with a negative image of Juárez. “There are incredible people there—I don’t know how they manage to do what they do. We met a woman who feeds more than 70 children every single day, and her husband helps people secure land and build homes... Juárez possesses a light that shines through all the people we met,” she said.

In closing, Andrews Correa stressed that, despite the dark atmosphere of the locations, it is vital that the audience does not form a negative impression of the border city. “There are incredible people there—I don’t know how they manage to do what they do. We met a woman who feeds more than 70 children every single day, and her husband helps people secure land and build homes... Juárez possesses a light that shines through all the people we met,” she concluded.