Creators of Netflix documentary ‘La Dama del Silencio’ seek to raise awareness in society

They are looking for Raising awareness in the era of the rise of true crime documentaries and podcastsdocumentary filmmaker María José Cuevas and producer Laura Woldenberg.

The creators of ‘The Lady of Silence‘ They assured that they sought to make the documentary with a human sense, free from sensationalism.

María José said it was surprising to meet Juana Barraza and see the celebrity treatment she receives inside the Santa Martha Acatitla prison.

“We all know who Juana Barraza is and no one knows who the victims are, so from the very beginning it was very clear to us that we wanted to see the invisible side of such a visible case,” explained María José.
The film also sought to reflect the injustices of the country’s justice system.

María José and Laura Woldenberg were nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the 2024 Ariel Awards for ‘The Lady of Silence’something that was taken with great joy by both of them.

In addition to the recognition of her work, for María José the nomination is a hope that the documentary will be accepted by the public like fiction.

“I think that the Documentary has been a very important tool for telling stories of our current problems that we are experiencing today, of putting the focus on places where it is not being put and above all to generate empathy,” added the filmmaker.

‘The Lady of Silence‘ tells the story of some of the victims of Juana Barraza, better known as ‘La mataviejitas’, as well as the investigation and arrest of the serial killer.

María José gave her point of view about streaming platforms, a controversial topic among film creators.

“I think that platforms help to amplify the message in a way that would not be possible in our case, since we are talking about very important social issues and we think that these are conversations that we need to have as a society and what we want is to generate influence and generate content with a social impact. We think that a platform is the ideal space for these projects to come to life, because they can be seen at the same time by millions of people in many countries and with different nationalities,” he concluded.

I studied journalism at the University of Guadalajara. I am a web reporter at DEBATE, covering daily events in Jalisco, Aguascalientes, and Guanajuato. I write about issues that concern Guadalajara, Zapopan, Tlajomulco, Tlaquepaque, El Salto, and the interior of the state. My journalistic work is focused on gender, disappearances, security, the Jalisco Prosecutor’s Office, the Government of Jalisco, the 2024 elections in Jalisco, the Light Rail, the Guadalajara Airport, and the Guadalajara Zoo. I support the states of Guerrero, Oaxaca, Chiapas, Tabasco, Campeche, Yucatán, and Quintana Roo, where I cover the 2024 electoral process and security events. Additionally, I write in the Health and Lifestyle sections, where I follow topics from the WHO, the Ministry of Health, epidemics, and pandemics; Family psychology, couple relationships, education, health problems, mental health, physical well-being, beauty tips, feng shui, stress and work well-being. I am available at the email [email protected]

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I have a degree in Journalism from the University of Guadalajara. In 2022, I joined the DEBATE team as a reporter for Jalisco, where I report on the daily events of the state as well as its capital: Guadalajara. I do web reporting in Nayarit and other entities of the Bajío of Mexico, in addition to communicating the weather forecast for the entire Mexican Republic, and mainly for Jalisco. Culture has been in my life since I was little, as I like to write about cinema, art, and getting to know the world through its traditions.

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