By Dr. Al Carlos Hernandez
Winner of the Best Film award at the NY Latino Film Festival and Barcelona Film Festival last year, Amaraica premieres on HBO/HBO/MAX on September 3. Filmed in El Paso, TX, the film is directed by Tim Sparks. Actress Elpidia Carillo (Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities, Mayans MC) and Director/Writer Tom Musa (Stand and Deliver) produce.
It is an immigrant story that revolves around Roberto, an undocumented roofer on the verge of marrying a U.S. citizen, which would allow him legal status. Plans change when his ex-girlfriend Juana comes back into his life, claiming he is her child’s father. Reluctantly, he takes responsibility, becomes a father, and then loses his child.
Roberto is deported while Juana remains in US custody seeking asylum and the whereabouts of her infant daughter. The film climax examines the reality of a family who has been separated from their child and their difficult if not impossible struggle to be reunited.
Amaraica is Sparks’ directorial debut. The subject matter of this film came from his own extended family, where he gained first-hand experience dealing with the complexities of undocumented immigration. In addition to his personal experience, the film is also further fueled by the inhumane practice of child separation at the US/Mexico border.
“I’ve been drafted into the community of undocumented individuals who are tragically affected every day by inhumane practice and policy at the US border,” Sparks recounted. “This film is for them,” he continued. “I invite you to walk a mile in their shoes as you watch, Amaraica, a human story about a family, perhaps not unlike your own, caught in a broken system, struggling to make a better future for their children in the land of the free and the home of the brave.”
Lending their experience and talents as producers are Musca, who first captured attention as the producer and co-writer of Oscar-nominated films Stand and Deliver and Carrillo. Carillo, who became known for her performance in The Border and Predator, has amassed an impressive career in Hollywood. She is now adding producer to her skillset.
It’s been said that without Elpidia’s passionate resolve to bring Amaraica’s story to light, the film might not have been made. She is solely responsible for procuring the talent that stars in the movie.
When director Sparks approached Carillo with his script, it triggered the deep hurt she had carried since starring in her first film in Hollywood.
“I came to this country as a teenager, my first film The Border reflected a Hollywood view of the migrant situation. This view was racist and horrible,” Carrillo said passionately. “We are not all prostitutes and drug dealers. We are hardworking, honest people doing their best to survive and feed their families. I knew early on that I had to raise my voice to find and write stories that told the truth about Latinos.”
Carillo was heavily involved with the casting of Aldo Verastegui as the lead said, “I wanted to make sure our story was told from the right perspective and that the narrative remains true to real life. When Aldo told me about his family experiences with immigration, I knew he was the right actor to bring this story to life”.
“As a Latino/American actor, I am so proud of what we did. We didn’t make a movie just to make a movie. We wanted to tell a universal story that is not only about Mexicans but for every race of people around the world experiencing those same immigration problems,” Verastegui said.
Producer/writer Kori Sparks has worked on major films, including Inception, Angles & Daemons, and The Dark Knight Rises. Her hands-on leadership helped shape the vision and authenticity of Amaraica.
Amaraica, a Sparkstar Production, was released last year and is now premiering on the pay cable channel HBO Latino/HBO MAX, September 3, 2021, and will be available for streaming. Amaraica was produced in partnership with www.raisestexas.org, a non-profit advocacy group representing separated children and their families pro-bono.
