New Jennifer Lopez film booed at Berlin festival screening

dpa German Press Agency Published: Thursday February 15, 2007

Berlin- Jennifer Lopez's new film Borderline was greeted with loud boos at its press screening at the Berlin film festival on Thursday. The 38-year-old singer-actress, who also co-produced the film, plays a Chicago journalist reporting on the serial killings of women in Ciudad Juarez, on Mexico's border with the US.

The preview audience apparently didn't like the fact that director Gregory Nava had made a thriller out of the disturbing real-life investigation.

The movie, which also stars Antonio Banderas and Martin Sheen, was having its world premiere at the festival later Thursday.

Lopez told a news conference that she made Bordertown because she wanted to draw attention to the still unexplained killings.

Nava said that without Lopez's commitment the film would not have been possible.

On Wednesday, the singer-actress received a reward from the human rights group Amnesty International for her involvement in the movie.

Amnesty believes more than 400 women and girls have been killed in Ciudad Juarez and Chihuahua since 1993, many after being kidnapped and raped. Some estimates put the figure at 5,000.

Lopez described the killings as "one of the world's most shocking and disturbing underreported crimes against humanity."

Borderline is one of 22 films in contention for the coveted Golden Bear prize at this year's festival, which runs until February 18. The jury is to announce the award winners on Saturday

© 2006 dpa German Press Agency