César Fierro has just become a free man and needs to rebuild his life after being unjustly sentenced to death in Texas. He spent most of his life in solitary confinement, deprived of any physical contact with other human beings. Despite the challenges, Cesar remains determined to find true freedom.

In The Freedom of Fierro, filmmaker Santiago Esteinou and team continue to follow César’s story as he embarks on this journey, after 40 years of incarceration, entering a very different world from what he left behind.

This film is a follow up to Esteinou’s The Years of Fierro which also premiered at TIFF in 2014. Much transpired in César’s life in the years following the first film. With the help of his legal team, the USA legal system acknowledged the wrongful conviction and thus, César was released from prison. The requirements for his release were that he return to Mexico.

We follow César as he leaves the prison system during COVID-19 lockdowns and is forced to stay in Mexico City upon arrival. He patiently follows quarantine rules and over time is able to return to Ciudad Juárez, his hometown in the northern part of Mexico. It is during this hometown visit that we see César experience an array of emotions in an ever so quiet way. He realizes he still has people who love him and that he just might be able to move forward with his life. In order for him to move on, however, he has to get accustomed to this new world.

Seeing César work hard at finding his bearings in the 21st century, while also reclaiming his identity, is incredibly moving. It serves as reminder to ask ourselves ‘what is freedom?’ Freedom is not only about having physical liberties to navigate the world. It also encompasses thinking and feeling free to be ourselves – to make our own mark in this world. Just like the first film about César, this film left me with a sense of humility at what I witnessed through his life journey. I trust it will have a similar, if not the same, impact on many other audiences as well.

Ten years to the day, I met up with director Santiago Esteinou and editor Javier Campos López to discuss their collaboration on this film, and their shared journey with César. Leaving you with our conversation from TIFF’s Industry Centre.

The Freedom of Fierro will continue its festival journey after TIFF. You can follow the film’s journey through their Instagram page.