Filmmaker Interview

POV: What is your motivation as a filmmaker? Why did you chose documentary in this case?

Lourdes Portillo: Because it was the most compelling. Only real life gives you that immediacy, that I find so absent in narrative.

POV: What generally inspires your interest?

Portillo: Good stories, good art and a good conversation.

POV: What inspired you to make "Senorita Extraviada"?

Portillo: The extraordinary lack of interest on the part of the Mexican Government to deliver Justice in the face of such atrocities.

POV: What were your goals in making "Senorita Extraviada"? And what would you like to see happen with it?

Portillo: To sensitize the audience to the facts and allow them to feel some compassion for their fellow human beings.

POV: What was the most surprising thing to you in making "Senorita Extraviada"?

Portillo: The veil of silence that hushed any conversation about the murders in Guars [Juarez].

POV: What are you currently working on or what would you like to be working on?

Portillo: A blooming rose garden.

POV: What are your favorite websites?

Portillo: The Pedro Almodovar website.

For more information about the films of Lourdes Portillo visit www.lourdesportillo.com.