Roma, centers on the story of Cleo, an indigenous woman who works as a live-in domestic-worker for a middle-class family in 1970s Mexico City. Roma had a limited release in theaters November 21 followed by a worldwide release on Netflix December 14, 2018, bringing Cleo’s story to 190 countries and 140 million subscribers.

“The role of the domestic worker, which in many movies is secondary, takes on a whole new dimension in Roma,” wrote the Associated Press.

Cleo’s experience represents those of 67MM domestic-workers in the world, whose work is undervalued, overlooked and unprotected. By putting the story of a caregiver center stage, an historically marginalized gender inequality issue became visible to millions of people, sparking conversations, as global audiences enjoyed the film. As the film’s popularity soared, the discussion around the need for policy protections for domestic-workers grew, eventually penetrating the mainstream consciousness at the Golden Globes and Oscars.

Storytelling has an ability to create understanding of complex issues in a deeply personal way. The campaign’s central idea is to combine art (film) and activism (community organizing) to accelerate progress on a vital, but marginalized, gender inequality issue.

Partnering Roma with non-profits leading a movement, we sought to spark a conversation around the treatment and rights of domestic-workers. The media quickly caught on, ex: “US News: Visibility for Mexico's Domestic Workers. The film ‘Roma’ raises national awareness of the plight of workers vulnerable to abuse,” “NYT: What America Can Learn From ‘Roma’: We’ve been excluded from basic labor protections for too long.” “AP: After ruling, hit film, Mexico reconsiders domestic workers.”

By leveraging both the storytelling of the film to increase understanding and compassion for the experiences of domestic workers and through partnerships with organizations fighting on behalf of domestic workers, the campaign sought to shift public consciousness

The National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA), led by Ai-jen Poo, and CACEH, led by Marcelina Bautisa, are non-profit organizations fighting for the respect, dignity and rights of domestic workers in the U.S. and Mexico, respectively. Both organizations screened Roma in August 2018, and recognized that this film could shift the narrative around domestic workers and bring visibility to their work.

Together, we developed a strategy to engage targeted audiences in the U.S. and Mexico, including Roma moviegoers, domestic workers, employers and government officials to:

Increase visibility and value of domestic workers in popular culture — awaken audiences to the realities of domestic workers lives and drive a cultural conversation about how we value and treat those who work in our homes.

Accelerate adoption of solutions that concretely support their economic security — raise visibility for legislation in support of the 2-3MM domestic workers in each country.

From August 2018-March 2019, the campaign, in partnership with NDWA and CACEH, executed the following tactics:

•Non-profits organized screenings and discussion forums for US Congress members, the ILO, domestic workers, employers and college students, reaching thousands from our target audiences.

•NDWA and CACEH attended and spoke at Roma premieres, film festivals and award events, including the Golden Globes and Academy Awards. i.e, NYT, “At a premiere…[Cuarón] welcomed domestic-workers-rights advocate, Marcelina Bautista, to the stage. ‘Mexico owes a lot to its women, and we must end the violence and abuse of power over women,’ said Bautista.”

•Pitched and secured in-depth stories and op-eds (NYT, LA Times, Yahoo News, Univision).

•Developed and launched solutions-oriented PSA, featuring Cuarón via his social media accounts.

•Contributed a portion of every Roma in-theater ticket sale in February to the NDWA and CACEH.

•Cuarón advocated for domestic workers during his Academy Award acceptance speech (25MM+ viewers).

Coverage of domestic-workers, NDWA and CACEH, garnered an earned media reach of 3.5B and $4MM in earned publicity (data:Cision).

Increased visibility of domestic workers in popular culture helped to accelerate real-world results:

“Reuters: How Roma’s success is helping change the rights of domestic workers”

Following a December Supreme Court ruling, 2.4MM domestic workers in Mexico now have access to social security. The Mexico Social Security Institute credited Roma as “an incentive to transform working conditions for millions of workers.”

March 2019, Ambassador Socorro Flores Liera, Mexican Representative to the U.N., coined the term the “Roma Effect,” for “helping Mexico to strengthen the government’s conviction to continue the fight for gender equality and commit to ratifying the ILO Convention 189.”

April 2019, Mexican Senate passed CACEH’s legislation which ensures 2.4MM domestic-workers have written contracts and benefits including paid-time off. And Mexico’s Congress voted to pass it in May, a momentous victory for a historically disenfranchised part of society. “The new legislation will benefit more than two million people — most of them impoverished women — who until now were not recognized as part of the formal labor market, with its benefits and protections (New York Times: Mexico’s Congress Votes to Expand Domestic Workers’ Labor Rights). “[Roma] was a movie that was undoubtedly part of this change,” said Marcelina Bautista in the NYT. The NYT article further states, “…[Roma] helped create a cultural moment that was propitious for the bill’s passage…”

In service of a movement, Roma transformed a cultural conversation and inspired change.