Yalitza Aparicio To Produce First Movie, a Sweatshop Thriller With a Latino Cast
Mexican actress Yalitza Aparicio is a testament to breaking the glass ceiling. The Oscar-nominated actress for “Roma” (2018) will serve as executive producer for the first time in her career.
As reported by Variety, Aparicio will work with actors such as Diego Calva (“Babylon”), Alfredo Castro (“From Afar”), and Paulina Gaitan (“Narcos”) in the production of “Bonded,” a sweatshop thriller.
“Emotionally, it’s very impactful,” Aparicio said. “The script is incredible. It’s a movie that keeps you present, always wondering what’s going to happen next. I’m proud to be part of such an important and thought-provoking film.”
Along with the production team of “Argentina, 1985,” Aparicio will take the reins of a unique story.
“Bonded” chronicles the 1995 raid on a sweatshop in El Monte, California.
The main character, a young Mexican boy with dreams of becoming a soccer star, is a victim of human trafficking across the border and sold to a Los Angeles sweatshop.
“Bonded” will have its world premiere at the Mammoth Film Festival on March 5.
“What makes Bonded unique is that it’s a social drama wrapped in a genre movie with gripping horror and action sequences that keeps you on the edge of your seat,” added producer Axel Kuschevatzky.
“At the same time, as a Latino, it’s hard not to think about how many more cases like Bonded are out there and what we’re going to do about it.”
An exciting new challenge
Today, Yalitza Aparicio is one of the most influential Latinas in Hollywood.
After her debut in Alfonso Cuarón’s “Roma,” the 29-year-old actress broke the glass in a way never seen before.
Her role as Cleo reunited her with her Mixtec ancestry and made her the first indigenous woman nominated for an Oscar in the best actress category.
Aparicio worked as a preschool teacher until 2018. A year later, she was one of the 100 most influential people in the world by “Time” magazine. Later on, in October 2019, the actress became United Nations Ambassador for Indigenous Peoples.
Following the success of her first film, Yalitza Aparicio participated in the movie “Presencias,” and the 2022 series “Los Espookys” and “Mujeres Asesinas.”
Similarly, the Mexican actress appeared in music videos for artists like Mon Laferte and Ziggy Marley.
However, with “Bonded,” Aparicio now explores an entirely different role but continues her work in fundamental storytelling.
Directed by Mohit Ramchandani, “Bonded” sheds light on a terrible reality.
“40 million people are enslaved in the world today,” Ramchandani pointed out. “My own father worked in a sweatshop in the ’50s, and learning about the El Monte case inspired me to make a film that simply shows you the underbelly of this world through the eyes of a young boy.”
