see this film

The other day I went and saw this documentary about the murders of more than 450 women in Ciudad Juárez and Chihuahua, Mexico, since 1993. I highly recommend this film (it's currently touring the West Coast; check the linked subject line above for screenings). This film (there have been others though I haven't seen them), rather than treat the murders as a whodunit (as the forthcoming Gregory Nava fiction film Bordertown apparently does), really smartly draws the connections between these murders, free trade, maquiladoras, and narco-trafficking, thus positioning the crimes within a larger socio-economic system from which U.S. corporations profit and that shows no signs of changing any time soon.

The film itself is a little difficult to watch, especially if you need to read the subtitles--there's a lot going on on-screen at any given moment between the text, the quick edits, and the visuals themselves. Even so, it's definitely worth a look, as this femicide is ongoing, and not a single perpetrator has been convicted of any of these murders.

There's more info at:

http://www.wola.org/Mexico/hr/ciudad_juarez/juarez_updated_05.htm

http://www.ocregister.com/news/2004/juarez/index.shtml