For Rosa

I first learned about the Madrigal Ten while attending CineFestival, a film festival in San Antonio, TX. It was the first time I saw the documentary, No Mas Bebes.When I moved back to LA I found a job working at We Are Mitú, a Latino media company. Many of my co-workers grew up in East LA and I asked if they knew the story. None of them did. I want to help honor the ten women and tell a forgotten piece of history.

It’s been over 40 years now and yet we still live in a time where black and brown stories are erased and decisions about women’s bodies are not their own. Now more than ever we need stories that remind us of our history, and challenge us to learn and change. I truly believe that our team has a chance to use the power of film to do that.

This story was silenced because the hospital was choosing who could and couldn’t procreate, but also because these mostly immigrant women fought back. They were an act of resistance. As our main actor Melinna Bobadilla said in an interview, “Yes this is a story about medical racism, but this is absolutely connected to this moment we are seeing now in terms of a reckoning of people calling for the end of white supremacy.” The Madrigal Ten and the attorney are examples of strength, resistance and power in working to dismantle a racist system. Right now that is incredibly important to draw from.

In an industry where, according to UCLA’s 2019 Hollywood Diversity Report, only 5.2% of all film roles were given to Latinxs compared to 77% that went to white actors, this film not only means bringing light to an ugly truth of California history, but also an opportunity to challenge the demographics of Hollywood. With the help of two amazing Latina producers Ashley Flores and Sabrinia Ehlert we made sure we created a space of empowerment not only in front of the camera with who we cast, but also behind it as well. The crew was predominantly female and Latinx with six out of the eight department heads being Latina. From our production designer including photographs of her great great grandmother, to Dia de los Muertos donation from 1970s founded art group Self Help Graphics, to our editor checking Spanish translations with her mother in Mexico, we were able to create this piece with a lot of heart. Furthermore, I worked closely with the actors to make sure the writing felt authentic and real. Melinna Bobadilla, Rick Mancias and Idalia Valles all did an amazing job at bringing these characters to life and even improving some scenes in a way that felt so real. My hope is that this cast and crew can be an example to Hollywood of what is possible.

My hope is that the audience feels angered by the injustice and feel hope from seeing the enormous amount of courage it took to risk everything, stand up in court, and fight for their rights.