“We forget who we are when things from outside come to get us,” says Estrella (Paola Lara) in a trailer for “Tigers Are Not Afraid.” Set against the backdrop of Mexico’s drug wars, Issa López’s acclaimed horror fairy tale tells the story of Estrella and other orphaned children who are fleeing from ghosts that haunt them and the cartel that murdered their parents.

Estrella and her friends aren’t going down without a fight. “We are princes,” she reminds the group. “We are warriors. And tigers. Tigers never forget. Tigers are not afraid.”

López won Best Horror Director at Austin’s Fantastic Fest for “Tigers Are Not Afraid.” In Mexico, the film scored two Ariel Awards and three Diosas de Plata awards. López’s other credits include “Todo mal” and “Casi divas.” She’s signed on to make her English-language debut with Paramount Players’ “Three Sundays,” a love story set in New York’s banda music scene.

“Tigers Are Not Afraid” opens in NY, LA, and Toronto August 23 with a national rollout to follow.