SUJO
by Astrid Rondero & Fernanda Valadez
Synopsis
Logline
When a cartel gunman is killed, he leaves behind Sujo, his beloved 4-year-old son. The shadow of violence surrounds Sujo during each stage of his life in the isolated Mexican countryside. As he grows into a man, Sujo finds that fulfilling his father’s destiny may be inescapable.
Synopsis
After a cartel gunman from a small Mexican town is murdered, Sujo, his beloved four-year-old son, is left an orphan and in danger. Sujo narrowly escapes death with the help of his aunt who raises him in the isolated countryside amidst hardship, poverty, and the constant peril associated with his identity. When he enters his teens a rebelliousness awakens in him, and like a rite of passage, he joins the local cartel. As a young man, Sujo attempts to make his life anew, away from the violence of his hometown. However, when his father’s legacy catches up with him, he will come face-to-face with what seems to be his destiny.
Specifications
Mexico, France, USA 125min. 1.85 5.1 Spanish
Written and Directed by
Astrid Rondero & Fernanda Valadez
Producers
Enaguas Cine (Mexico)
Co-producers
Jewerl Ross (USA), Diana Arcega (Mexico), Jean-Baptiste Bailly-Maitre (France)
Cast
Juan Jesús Varela
Yadira Pérez
Alexis Varela
Sandra Lorenzano
Jairo Hernández
Kevin Aguilar
Crew
DoP: Ximena Amann
Editors: Astrid Rondero, Susan Korda, Fernanda Valadez
Production design: Belén Estrada
Festivals
Sundance Film Festival – GRAND JURY PRIZE
Göteborg Film Festival – International Competition
Sofia International Film Festival – GRAND PRIX
First Look (Museum of the Moving Image) – Opening Film
Cinélatino Toulouse – CINE + AWARD / RAIL d’OC AWARD
Festival Cinematográfico Internacional del Uruguay – Iberoamerican Competition
Hong Kong International Film Festival – Firebird Awards Young Cinema Competition
Miami Film Festival – Narrative Competition
Milwaukee Film Festival – Cine Sin Fronteras
Minneapolis St Paul International Film Festival
Cartagena International Film Festival
Festival du Cinéma Espagnol et Latino- américain d’Ajaccio – GRAND PRIX
MOOOV Film Festival
Dallas International Film Festival- Narrative Competition
Maryland Film Festival
Seattle International Film Festival – Ibero American Cinema
Festival del Cinema Africano, d’Asia e America Latina – Feature Film Competition
Astrid Rondero and Fernandez Valadez's bio
Mexican writer, director, and producers Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez have collaborated for 15 years, producing the short films “OF THIS WORLD” (2010), “IN STILL WATERS” (2011), and “400 BAGS” (2014) and the features “SUJO” (2024) “THE DARKEST DAYS OF US” (2017) and “IDENTIFYING FEATURES” (2020), which received awards at the Sundance, San Sebastian, Zurich, and Thessaloniki Film Festivals and a Gotham Award for Best International Film.
