HBO announced the acquisition of For Rosa, a narrative short film inspired by the Madrigal Ten, a group of women who were ten of the many Latinas sterilized without consent while giving birth at Los Angeles County USC Medical Center in the 1970s.
The film is set to premiere on HBO Latino and will be available to stream on HBO Max in May of this year.
Written and directed by Kathryn Boyd-Batstone (A $73 Million Dollar Industry) the cast includes extraordinary performances by Melinna Bobadilla (Orange is the New Black, Grand Hotel), Idalia Valles (Queen of the South), and Rick Mancía (East Los High, NCIS). The film is produced by Ashley Flores, Sabrina Ehlert, and executive produced by Chuey Martinez (The Chuey Martinez Show on El Rey Network).
Martinez, executive producer of the film, said:
We’re extremely excited that HBO is giving us the platform to share For Rosa with the world.
40 years later, mothers and women of color are still fighting for reproductive justice. With this film, we honor the Madrigal Ten and the self-determination of Latinx women, whose stories hardly ever get told with this level of visibility.
For Rosa tells the story of Eva (Melinna Bobadilla), a mother who after being informed of her forced sterilization, is faced with the life-altering decision of joining Jessica (Idalia Valles), a 26-year-old fierce Chicana attorney, and nine other women in a lawsuit against the hospital, to stand up for their bodies and women’s rights.
The filmbreaks boundaries not just with its storytelling, but also with its below-the-line talent. In addition to having an all Latinx cast, the crew for the film was predominantly female and Latinx, creating a space for empowerment both in front of and behind the camera.