Maquilápolis follows the story of women factory workers on the Mexican border, fighting against environmental degradation and the exploitation of their labour at the hands of U.S. and multinational companies. Carmen Durán and Lourdes Luján chronicle their struggles in video diaries, documenting their work as promotoras: community advocates for social justice. The process behind the film is especially valuable, as it actively involved the promotoras in planning, filming, and distribution, as well as the fact that it directly led to the cleanup of an abandoned factory in Chilpancingo.

Vicky Funari is a documentary filmmaker and teacher. Her films include Paulina (1998) and Live Nude Girls Unite! (2000). Funari is committed to co-creative processes that aim to be of use to the individuals and communities represented. She is a Senior Lecturer of Visual Studies at Haverford College.

Lourdes Luján is an ex-factory worker and resident of Colonia Chilpancingo, a neighborhood that borders a huge industrial park in Tijuana. When she discovered that the chronic health problems she and her neighbors were suffering might be the result of toxic waste from the nearby factories, she co-founded the Chilpancingo Collective for Environmental Justice. Lourdes has participated in Maquilápolis video production and editing workshops and has travelled to Seoul, Oslo, New York, and several cities along the US-Mexico border to speak with audiences.