By Lance Olson, February 17, 2007

Greetings from the 57th Berlin Film Festival (Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin). The trip was long and uneventful, except I caught a flu bug along the way and now I feel crummy in this exciting, bustling European city of new art and culture.

I went to the Grand Hyatt Berlin to pick up my press credentials yesterday (Thursday, February 15, 2007). As soon as I did, a decidedly Germanic buzzing caught my ear from across the floor. Curious, I pushed through the throng of people and discovered a grove of cameras manned by politely-expectant media people. In front of a blue backdrop adorned with many logos stood Jennifer Lopez, Antonio Banderas and Gregory Nava. They posed alone and together as fireworks of flashbulbs flared in their faces as international paparazzi clamored for their seconds of lens time. When it was deemed that sufficient photos were taken (by whom, I wanted to know?), the three stars were escorted into a larger press room theatre and joined co-stars already seated at a long table, while even more photographs snapped away.

They were soon dismissed, and the press briefing began for the movie, Bordertown (BTOWN). As its press notes detail, Bordertown is the story of a Latina Chicago newspaper reporter, Lauren Adrian, played by Jennifer Lopez (JLOPE) who is sent to Juarez, Mexico (located just across the border from El Paso, Texas) by her editor, George Morgan, Martin Sheen (MSHEE) Rumors have reached George that a few female factory workers who toil at “maquiladores” (border factories) were killed under mysterious circumstances. One of the victims, Eva Jimenez (Maya Zapata), emerged barely alive from a shallow desert grave and sought help at the local Juarez newspaper, run by Alfonso Diaz, portrayed by Antonio Banderas (ABAND), Lauren’s old friend, collegue and former lover. Both Lauren and Alfonso are appalled at Eva’s story of her brutal rape, strangulation and swift burial, but are even more shocked to learn that the same inhuman treatment has happened to hundreds of undocumented, “worthless” women, while the corrupt Juarez police are paid to look the other way.

What is even more disturbing is that the above movie is not fictitious, but based on the true stories of thousands of poorly-paid women raped and killed while riding in factory buses late at night. Most are undocumented and thus, without proof they even existed as alive, their deaths are inconsequential. Only the families of the disappeared women are left to mourn their discarded lives.

Director Gregory Nava and his actors and production team were passionate throughout the press’ questions. Nava began this project back in 1997 (after hearing whispers of the Juarez women’s murders) and, in 1998, enlisted Jennifer Lopez’ help and star-power to attract interest and funding for the movie. (Nava cast Lopez as ‘Selena’, her breakout 1997 role in Nava’s movie of the same name.) Even with her added clout, no major studio showed interest in the project, and the production team raised the needed funds through independent sources.

Both Nava and his co-producer/2nd Unit director, Barbara Martinez Jitner, told of their perilous research and stymied filming attempts on Bordertown. Jitner went to Juarez and worked undercover for $4 per day at one of the maqiladoras. She told of no bathroom breaks during her factory shifts and that most workers lived in shacks while trying to afford a cost-of-living the same as El Paso’s across the border. Nava received death threats and the major stars weren’t allowed into Juarez for fear of injury or worse. Jitner also related that one of the production assistants was kidnapped and beaten by Juarez officials, to gain information about the film crew’s purpose for being there.

The production crew’s hotel rooms were broken into many times and footage and cameras were stolen. The crew had to hire gunmen for protection while filming coverage in Juarez. Bordertown was shot on location in an around Albuquerque, New Mexico. Any family members of the disappeared women were harassed if it was discovered they talked to Nava. In a related note, the actress was asked about the working conditions of her own fashion line. She answered that there were no child laborers, but she didn’t go into any details of other workers. No reporter followed up with any deeper questions.

The most gripping testimony came from an actual mother of one of the murdered women. Her heartbreak came through as she pleaded in Spanish to the gathered media, that they must not turn a blind eye to this still-occuring event—as most corporate news outlets have—and to help bring the many victim’s killers to justice. She expressed sincere thanks to Nava, Lopez, Banderas and the other cast and crew members for making Bordertown, and her words illicited thunderous applause from the camera crews and reporters in attendance. Everyone attached to the film expressed continued advocacy on behalf of the murdered women, and hoped Bordertown would help end this human crime of increasing proportions.

Lance J. Olson is a contributing writer to the Hollywood Stock Exchange. He can be contacted at lanceoutwest@yahoo.com