Ahead of the August 30, 2024 release of City of Dreams from writer-director-producer Mohit Ramchandani, Academy Award® winner Mira Sorvino has boarded as executive producer, with Sylvester Stallone, legendary coach Pat Riley, actor Martin Sheen (The West Wing), talk show host Kathie Lee Gifford, ‘Vikings’ and ‘Big Sky’ star Katheryn Winnick, and ’24’ and ‘Riverdale’ star Marisol Nichols joining as ambassadors for the film.
Sorvino joins New York Times bestselling author and speaker Tony Robbins, five-time Latin Grammy Winning Singer Luis Fonsi (“Despacito”), Songwriters Hall of Famer Linda Perry, Academy Award®-winning Producer Michael Phillips (Taxi Driver, The Sting, Close Encounters of the Third Kind), Academy Award®-nominated actress Yalitza Aparicio (Roma), director Luis Mandoki (When a Man Loves a Woman, Innocent Voices, Message in a Bottle), iHeart Latino president Enrique Santos, actor Thomas Jane, political leader Vivek Ramaswamy, and actress Colleen Camp to serve as Executive Producers on the film. It was produced by Sean Wolfington (Sound of Freedom) and editor Matt Diezel (Now You See Me, Red, Time Travelers Wife).
Stallone, Riley, Sheen, Gifford, Nichols, and Winnick join the film’s celebrity ambassadors, including, actor Frank Grillo (The Purge, Captain America), actor Anthony Ramo (Twisters, Transformers, Hamilton), musician Prince Royce, Oscar® winning producer and studio executive Peter Guber, actor Carlos Ponce (Couples Retreat, Spy), journalist and television host Pamela Silva (Primer Impacto), journalist María Celeste, journalist María Elena Salinas, and model Karolina Kurkova.
“I continue to be astounded by the way our film has become an inflection point for so many of my heroes,” said Ramchandani. “I was 12 years old when I saw Rocky, and I knew in that moment that I would be a filmmaker because of the power cinema has to inspire and empower people. I am completely humbled by Mr. Stallone’s words and his generosity. I’m also grateful to Mira, Katheryn, and Marisol for coming aboard – it’s exciting to see so many leaders and creative people use their voices to put a spotlight on this film and the issues it confronts. Together, our voices can make a difference for the hundreds of thousands of trafficked people in this country. That’s personal to me, and I’m heartened and inspired by the incredible roster of talent that have joined our cause.”
Inspired by true events, City of Dreams follows Jesús, a young Mexican boy whose dreams of becoming a soccer star are shattered when he’s trafficked across the border and sold to a sweatshop making fast fashion in downtown Los Angeles. Thrust into a world of exploitation and despair; he’s forced to adhere to the grueling work schedule dictated by El Jefe, a boss who promises freedom for those who complete their quotas. Despite Jesus’s hellish existence, he finds solace in Elena, a girl who was similarly betrayed and sold into slavery. When she goes missing and another co-worker Carlitos is severely beaten, Jesus realizes that the only way to save himself and the others is to fight back; even if it costs him his life.