Mexico's first female police officers inspire TV series 'Las Azules'

By Hanna Rantala

LONDON (Reuters) - Upcoming crime drama series "Las Azules" ("Women in Blue") is rooted in the past but echoes current events, its makers say.

Set in 1971, the Spanish-language show is inspired by the true story of Mexico’s first female police officers and follows four women who join the force following a public campaign and gruelling bootcamp. Unbeknownst to the women, their hiring is a publicity stunt aimed at improving the tainted image of the police and diverting attention from a serial killer targeting the capital's women.

Telling the story of the female officers and their efforts to change attitudes in the patriarchal society of the time was both an opportunity and a responsibility, said actors Bárbara Mori, Ximena Sariñana, Natalia Téllez and Amorita Rasgado, who portray the foursome.

"It's bittersweet because the story that takes place in 1970s features obstacles that women today in Mexico, and I suppose in many places in the world, continue to encounter," said Téllez, who plays rebellious Valentina.

"It's wonderful to be able to pay tribute to these women. The only press that exists was about their legs and their uniforms and now the real story of what they achieved and what they were fighting for is told. It's just sad to know that we are not that far from that reality 50 years later."

The 10-episode series is co-created, co-written and co-directed by Fernando Rovzar, who stumbled across the story in a newspaper article and tracked down one of the original women in blue.

"I wanted to tell the story of adversity," Rovzar, 44, said. "Mexico's about to celebrate our first female president and I think that there's a line you could absolutely draw from the first female police department to this historic event."

Claudia Sheinbaum will become Mexico's first female president in October after winning a landslide election victory last month. She will be tasked with confronting organised crime violence, with more people killed during the mandate of the outgoing president than during any other administration in Mexico's modern history, although the homicide rate has come down over his term.

While the women provided the inspiration for the show, the serial killer element was invented to bridge the past and the present, Rovzar said.

"While we have a female president, and that's an incredible advance in Mexican way of life, at the same time I live in a country where ten women are murdered every day because they are women. I think you can't possibly have these two extremes and not reflect on where we've come from and where we should really pay attention."

"Las Azules" starts streaming on Apple TV+ on July 31.

(Reporting by Hanna Rantala; Editing by Sharon Singleton)