James Schamus' first Netflix series Somos will tackle "How the U.S. Triggered a Massacre in Mexico"

Variety

In February, it was reported that Schamus, the Oscar-nominated longtime Ang Lee collaborator, was working on a Spanish language series for Netflix Mexico. That series will be titled Somos and will premiere on June 30 based on the 2017 ProPublica report “How the U.S. Triggered a Massacre in Mexico” by Pulitzer Prize-winning American journalist Ginger Thompson. "Presenting a fictional mosaic of characters in the events leading up to the massacre that took place in the border town of Allende, Coahuila, in 2011, the series gives the point of view of the victims whose lives were forever altered in a tragedy that was sparked by a DEA operation gone awry," according to Variety. "Schamus made it a point to hire women for all aspects of the series, starting with screenplay and research assistant Maynné Cortés, his co-writers/executive producers Monika Revilla (Dance of the Forty-One, The House of Flowers) and novelist Fernanda Melchor (Hurricane Season), co-director Marianna Chenillo and executive producer Sandra Solares, among many others." Schamus tells Variety: “Ginger Thompson’s report was made possible because of the bravery of the women who stood up and made sure these stories were told. It was really important to keep the DNA of these voices and to make sure they were amplified by women creators in every step of the process." Schamus explained the title, saying in English the phrase "Somos" requires two words: “We are” or “We exist.” "But in Spanish, one word says it all," he says. "I asked if we could add a period after the title so that it reads as an assertion, and not just a title.”