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
SUJO is the Official Candidate for the Oscar®
SUJO is the Official Candidate for the GOYA Awards
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 – CANVAS AWARD
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 – AUDIENCE AWARD
June Film Festival
Costa Rica International Film Festival
Sydney International Film Festival
Munich Film Festival – Cinemasters Competition
Galway Film Festival – World Cinema Competition
Blue Mountain Film Festival
Malaysia International Film Festival – International Competition
New Horizons Film Festival – Discoveries
Jerusalem International Film Festival – Spirit of Freedom Competition
Lima Film Festival – Latin American Competition
Melbourne International Film Festival – International Features
Annual Martha’s Vineyard International Film Festival
AFI Latin American Film Festival
San Sebastian Film Festival – Spanish Cooperation Award
Ourense Film Festival – Best Direction
Panoramica Stockholm Latin American Film Festival
London BFI Film Festival – Journey
Pingyao International Film Festival- Crouching Tigers Competition
Bergen International Film Festival
Filmfest Osnabruck
Morelia Film Festival – Best Film, Best Directors, Best Screenplay
AFI Fest
Molodist Kyiv International Film Festival
Films from the South
Sharjah Film Platform
International Film Festival of Rabat – Main Competition
Around the World in 14 Films
QCinema International Film Festival
Tokyo FilMex – Special Screening
Tbilisi International Film Festival
Kerala International Film Festival
Palms Springs Film Festival
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.
