Fashion

Kate Bosworth is Working to Raise Awareness of Human Trafficking

Published on April 30, 2018 @ 04:32PM

Kate Bosworth is calling from the film festival circuit with major news. Her latest production project—Nona, a movie depicting the often overlooked horrors of human trafficking—has just won for best narrative at Sun Valley. A few days later, it will nab the award for Best Screenplay in Richmond, where the movie’s breakout star, Sulem Calderon, will also be honored with Best Actress.

VIDEO: Kate Bosworth's Red Carpet Style Evaluation

“It’s a really rewarding feeling,” she says of the experience, which she is sharing with filmmaker husband Michael Polish, who also wrote and directed the film. “We are so excited to get this out into the world!”

Describing the piece as a true “labor of love,” Bosworth says she and Polish were compelled to tell this story after a sex house bust near their Los Angeles neighborhood. “We sort of generally understood sex trafficking in a vaguer context, but we didn't know how severe of an epidemic it is,” she says. “Michael and I both felt was important as artists to create [greater awareness].”

For Bosworth, Nona (meaning “no name,” for all the trafficked woman in the world we don’t know or see) is only the start of her mission. She’s also teamed up with fashion girl favorite denim label J Brand to photograph a dreamy “creative editorial” starring Calderdon in the brand's signature casual-cool basics.

Jumpsuit, $428; jbrandjeans.com.

Debuting today, the series incorporates a special white T-shirt with the word “LOVE” stitched in the collar. (Fun fact: The original piece was marked up in Polish’s handwriting.) Net profits from the style will directly benefit CAST LA (the Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking), an Los Angeles-based organization that rehabilitates survivors and advocates for safer public policies.

T-shirt, $118; jbrandjeans.com.

“I wanted to bring idea of love into the project,” says Bosworth. “When you talk to survivors of human trafficking, love is really the only quality that brings one from the dark side into the light.