Lourdes Portillo, director known for 1994 documentary The Devil Never Sleeps, is dead at 80.
The visual artist, investigative journalist and social activist was in her San Franciso home when she died on Saturday, reported Variety.
Born in Chihuahua, Mexico, and raised in Los Angeles, Portillo produced her first film in 1979 called After the Earthquake or Despues del Terremoto.
Throughout her life, the filmmaker’s work was focused on writing, directing and producing film and videos that centred the emotions and circumstances of Latin American, Mexican and Chicano experiences.
In her most notable documentary, Missing Young Woman, Portillo investigated the kidnapping, rape and murder of over 350 young women in Juárez, Mexico, which borders the U.S..
Las Madres: The Mothers of Plaza de Mayo focused on the mothers of Argentinian desaparecidos, thousands of citizens who disappeared during Argentina’s military dictatorship between 1976 until 1983.
The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures currently has a gallery experience devoted to Portillo, highlighting her life and career, as a part of its Limited Series and Spotlights.
She is survived by her three sons and younger sister.
