Ex-Presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and Oscar winner Mira Sorvino join Mohit Ramchandani feature ‘City of Dreams’ as exec producers
Former Republican Presidential candidate and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy – who recently bought a minority stake in the media company BuzzFeed – is making his first foray into Hollywood by signing on to the forthcoming Roadside Attractions feature “City of Dreams” as an executive producer along with Oscar-winning actress Mira Sorvino (“Mighty Aphrodite”) – who has actively fought human trafficking around the world for decades – and Colleen Camp, a veteran character actor and producer known for “Apocalypse Now,” “Clue” and “American Hustle” (among many others). They join a production written, produced and directed by filmmaker Mohit Ramchandani that features in its cast Jason Patric, Paulina Gaitan, Renata Vaca, Samm Levine, Diego Calva and Nicole Andrews.
Also boarding the film as “elite ambassadors” supporting a “City of Dreams” awareness campaign are Golden Globe winner and Oscar nominee Sylvester Stallone, legendary NBA coach and executive Pat Riley, actor Martin Sheen, talk show host Kathie Lee Gifford and actresses Katheryn Winnick and Marisol Nichols. Other previously announced celebrity ambassadors include producer and studio executive Peter Guber, actors Frank Grillo, Anthony Ramos and Carlos Ponce, musician Prince Royce, model Karolina Kurkova, journalist and television host Pamela Silva and journalists Maria Celeste and Maria Elena Salinas. They are all featured in an ambassador trailer that can be found here.
The film premieres at a film academy screening in Beverly Hills on Sunday at 3 p.m. and in theaters on August 30.
Ramaswamy, Sorvino and Camp join an impressive list of executive producers and supporters of a small independent film that’s building significant momentum in advance of its launch next Friday. The story follows a young boy from Mexico 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. As such, the film highlights some of the most politically charged issues in the country, including the border crisis and the exploitation of migrant children in the supply chains of American corporations.
Says Ramaswamy: “‘City of Dreams’ is a gripping thriller inspired by many true stories, and it’s one of the most important films of our time.
Writer-director Ramchandani, who was born in India and whose own father worked in a sweatshop after being exiled from Pakistan during the 1947 partition of the former British territory, emphasizes that he used the money from his late mother’s life insurance policy to finance “City of Dreams.” “It was a way to honor both of my parents,” he adds. “Like me, Vivek is of Indian heritage and has a deep humanity and love for this country. And Colleen is a queen of Hollywood whose work I have admired my whole life. This film isn’t about politics and I personally don’t lean left or right. I lean into using my art to be of service to storytelling and humanity. I am humbled by everyone who has been moved by this film and who want to bring awareness to the issue of children that have been sold into slavery in America and to pursue a collective mission to rescue them.”
Also among the “City of Dreams” executive producers are New York Times Bestselling author and speaker Tony Robbins, five-time Latin Grammy-winning singer Luis Fonsi, Songwriter’s Hall of Famer Linda Perry, Oscar-winning producer Michael Phillips, Oscar-nominated actress Yalitza Aparicio, director Luis Mandoki and actor Thomas Jane.
Concurrent to the “City of Dreams” release is the powerful music video for its title song (featured at the top of the post). It’s performed by Latin superstar Luis Fonsi, a five-time Latin Grammy-winning artist whose smash hit song “Despacito” is both the most streamed song of all time (with over 4.6 billion plays across various platforms) but also the most-viewed tune of all time on YouTube with over eight billion views. The “City of Dreams” track is a collaboration with songwriter Perry. whose hits include Christina Aguilera’s “Beautiful,” Pink’s “Get the Party Started” and Gwen Stefani’s “What You Waiting For?”.
The song’s video starts with a long tracking shot through a police station plastered with pictures of missing children before transporting viewers into another world as the face of a young boy on a bulletin board seamlessly morphs into an older version, played by Fonsi. Wearing a tattered soccer jersey and shackled to a wall in an underground cell, he stares at an old photo of his sweetheart. As he remembers the past, the music begins with a delicate guitar strum and the video slowly dissolves into the stirring, provocative, and topical film, which is inspired by a true story. The song continues, intercutting between the film, Fonsi singing, and a mysterious woman playing guitar in a white room.
Ramchandani offers, “Growing up, I would visit my cousins in India and they were always obsessed with the title songs and music videos of the movies releasing that summer. Having such music superstars in the stratosphere as Linda Perry and Luis Fonsi collaborating on such an unforgettable and stirring anthem is more than a dream come true for a first-time filmmaker. That they have poured their time, soul and talent into our mission to save and protect the children being exploited in our country is beyond a miracle.”
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