Paris-based Alpha Violet has closed multiple distribution deals with filmmakers Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez as their film Sujo has expanded its global reach as it premiered back in January at Sundance, taking home the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize in the Dramatic category.

Talking to Variety, the cohead of Alpha Violet, Virginie Devesa said of the film, “It’s been incredibly gratifying to reteam with Astrid and Fernanda on Sujo. From the win at Sundance to the overwhelmingly positive response we’ve gotten from audiences and buyers around the world, it’s clear that the story of Sujo resonates across cultures and time zones.”

Sujo follows an adolescent (played by Kevin Uriel Aguilar Luna and Juan Jesús Varela) growing up in the wake of violence inflicted by the drug cartels, focusing on intense themes such as generational trauma, the loss of innocence, moving forward in the face of tragedy, and toxic traditional roles. Commenting on the film’s themes, Rondero and Valadez said, “The cartel’s way of life, its myths and its characters, has penetrated all areas of culture and society in our country. That cartel culture presents itself as tales of resistance and coming out of poverty. But that image is a complete manipulation, a trap for young people because most of the kids who are recruited end up dead before they turn 25 and their families remain in deep adversity.”

The film avoids glorifying gang violence while also highlighting the importance of community balancing the realities of both hope and despair.