The Mexican cartel drama Sujo by directors Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez has just been announced as the winner of the Grand Jury Prize in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition at the 40th edition of the Sundance Film Festival. This marks the second prize for Rondero and Valadez at Sundance, after their previous film Identifying Features / Sin señas particulares won the Audience Award: World Cinema Dramatic and the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Best Screenplay.
The film tells the story of Sujo, a four-year-old kid, who is left an orphan and in danger, after his father, a cartel gunman from a small Mexican town, is murdered. 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.
The 40th edition of the Sundance Film Festival took place January 18-28 in Park City, Utah.
