The lives of Indigenous women collide in this powerful feature debut from Mexican First Nations filmmaker Ángeles Cruz, which takes aim at poverty, prejudice and the patriarchy.

Set against the patron saint’s festival in San Mateo, a highlands village in the Mixtec region of Oaxaca, Cruz’s debut feature follows three very different people who have come back home to face a reckoning. María buries her mother while dealing with her father’s rejection of her queer identity. Chabela, feeling abandoned by her husband, Esteban, has been living with another man, but now must defend herself against charges laid by the returned Esteban in an assembly of the townspeople. And Toña confronts her family over the sexual abuse of her daughter, causing her to relive her own pain.

Offering a rare First Nations female perspective on the region, Cruz weaves together these distinct stories with compassion and insight, shining a light on the lives of Indigenous women who struggle against sexism, intolerance and economic injustice. Powered by Cruz’s sensitive direction and superb performances from a cast comprised of professional actors and local community members, Nudo Mixteco is a vivid, eye-opening portrait of an underseen but vibrant culture.

“Cruz has fashioned a quietly powerful triptych of stories that speak about the plight of Indigenous women in her country.” – Screen Daily