Shocking! Acclaimed Documentary Filmmaker & Activist Lourdes Portillo Dead at 80!

Lourdes Portillo: A Beacon of Social Activism and Documentary Filmmaking

Renowned documentary filmmaker and social activist Lourdes Portillo, famed for her poignant depiction of working-class struggles, has passed away.

Portillo, born in Mexico and best known for her 1994 film “The Devil Never Sleeps” and her Oscar-nominated 1985 work “The Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo,” died on Saturday morning at her residence in San Francisco, confirmed her friend and fellow filmmaker Soco Aguilar.

Portillo, who was 80 at the time of her death, had been battling cholangiocarcinoma, also known as bile duct cancer.

“She was a pioneer, right to the end,” Aguilar shared in a recent interview. “She embodied strength and resilience – a true fighter – and was completely at peace with her life’s accomplishments.”

In the past year, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures honored Portillo with a retrospective and exhibition, celebrating her life and influential career. Her work primarily revolved around issues impacting women in her native Mexico and beyond. In “The Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo,” she shed light on a group of Argentine women who regularly gathered at a plaza in Buenos Aires to commemorate their children, who went missing during the political unrest in Argentina in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

“The Devil Never Sleeps” was a personal exploration into the enigmatic murder of her uncle, Oscar Ruiz Almeida, in her home state of Chihuahua.

Her documentaries often had journalistic undertones, and at times, stirred controversy.

Her filmography includes “The Days of the Dead” (1989); “Corpus: A Home Movie for Selena” (1999), a touching tribute to the life and legacy of the late Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla; and “Señorita Extraviada” (2001), a documentary about the mysterious disappearances of young women in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. This film was recognized with a Special Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival.

She was in the midst of a final project, collaborating with performance artist Guillermo Gómez-Peña in San Francisco.

Portillo was born in 1943 in Chihuahua, Mexico.

From the third grade, she was sent by her parents to the U.S. to receive her education at a Catholic School. Her family relocated to Los Angeles during her teenage years. She entered the world of filmmaking at the age of 21 when she was involved in a documentary project at the request of a friend.

She once shared with the Academy Museum in an interview, “Being an immigrant in the United States is tough because you’re immediately made to feel less than. Your confidence is shaken, your sense of importance and your voice are diminished.”

In the 1970s, she moved to San Francisco and became a part of the city’s burgeoning art scene. She secured a job as a first-camera assistant while being part of a collective called Cine Manifest. In 1978, she graduated from the San Francisco Art Institute.

“That was the beginning of my belief that I could make films that could inspire and motivate people to bring about positive change,” she noted during the Academy Museum interview.

With the funds she received from the American Film Institute Independent Filmmaker Award, she proceeded to create the short documentary “After the Earthquake,” which portrayed a Nicaraguan refugee in San Francisco, followed by her more recognized works.

“She was resilient and clear about her message… Addressing challenging topics with such artistry,” Aguilar commented. “Her activism was reflected in her films, which made her extraordinary. She was ahead of her time.”

She is survived by her three children, four siblings, five grandchildren, and extended family in the U.S. and Mexico.