America Ferrera secured her place as one of Hollywood’s most vibrant young talents with her starring role in the Patricia Cardoso film, “Real Women Have Curves.” Her performance earned her a Sundance Jury Award for Best Actress, an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Debut Performance, as well as a Young Artist Award nomination for Best Performance for a Leading Young Actress. 

This summer Ferrera will begin production on the bilingual independent film “Towards Darkness.” She will also serve as executive producer on the film. Directed by Antonio Negret, the film follows the last 90 minutes in a kidnapped hostage’s life, and the frustration felt by his family, a special ops team and the man in charge of delivering the ransom money, as they all rush to save him. Ferrera plays a young woman who has a complicated relationship with the young hostage. The feature is based on Negret’s short film “Darkness Minus 12,” which Ferrera also starred in.

Ferrera recently completed work in a Spanish speaking role in the independent film “Boy, Immigrant.” Directed by Patricia Riggen, the story chronicles a nine-year-old Mexican boy’s journey to the United States to find his migrant mother after the grandmother who is taking care of him passes away. The film also stars Mexican actors Kate DelCastillo and Eugenio Derbez.

At the 2006 Sundance Film Festival, Ferrera appeared in the Brian Jun film “Steel City,” which premiered in Dramatic Competition. On stage she most recently appeared off-Broadway in “Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead,” directed by Trip Cullman.

Additional film credits include a starring role in the 2005 hit “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants,” directed by Ken Kwapis and based on the bestselling novel by Ann Brashares. The film earned her an ALMA Award nomination. She also appeared in Catherine Hardwicke’s “Lords of Dogtown” and the 2005 Sundance Film Festival entry, “How the Garcia Girls Spent Their Summer,” written and directed by Georgina Riedel and co-starring Elizabeth Peña. In recognition of her work, Ferrera received a 2005 Movieline Breakthrough Award.