Opens October 26

Reviews & Quotes

CNN - Ana Maria Montero
Powerful and moving... a true inspiration.

NEW YORK TIMES - Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
A man whose life is about to be changed forever discovers that sometimes it takes losing it all to finally appreciate the things that truly matter in director Alejandro Monteverde's emotional tale of self discovery.

HOLLYWOOD REPORTER - excerpt from Bella Wins article
A trio of Mexicans triumphed at the Toronto International Film Festival on Saturday when their U.S. independent drama "Bella" captured the People's Choice Award, voted on by festival audiences…. "These Mexican guys go to America and beat the American independents at their game -- it's impressive," Toronto festival co-director Noah Cowan said after an awards luncheon.

VARIETY - William Triplett
"This movie depicts the culture but also transcends it," said Pilar O'Leary, exec director of the Smithsonian Institute's Latino Center. "It has universal appeal."Which is why the Latino Center is presenting Verastegui and helmer Alejandro Monteverde with its award for emerging talent.

FOX NEWS
(Bella is) incredibly charming, with terrific performances by Tammy Blanchard and Mexican star Eduardo Verástegui and Manny Perez...

AFI Dallas Movie Review - John P. Meyer
Life is really, really hard; thank god it's so beautiful - it's one of those rare films that catches you by the emotional short hairs and refuses to let go. By the time the final reel plays, you're going to be weeping tears of commingled sadness and joy - unless you happen to have blocked tear ducts. (And, if you do, you might consider a viewing of this movie as a possible cure.

ABC NEWS
A romantic drama….Mexican director Alejandro Gomez Monteverde's Bella tells the story of two people whose lives converge and turn upside down on a single day in New York. It has won the People's Choice Award, which is often an indicator of future Academy Award nominations. Read the article here

RUETERS:
TORONTO (Reuters) - "Bella," a romantic drama by Mexican director Alejandro Monteverde, was the surprise winner of the top award at the Toronto Film Festivalon Saturday….. The prize is often an indicator of future Academy Award nominations, with past recipients including best picture winners "American Beauty" and "Chariots of Fire."Last year's winner, "Tsotsi," won an Oscar for best foreign-language film. "I really hope that this is not a dream and that I don't wake up at film school," a visibly surprised Monteverde said at an awards ceremony. "This festival is my first festival, it's my first film. it's my first everything."

NEW YORK TIMES WEBSITE:
A man whose life is about to be changed forever discovers that sometimes it takes losing it all to finally appreciate the things that truly matter in director Alejandro Monteverde's emotional tale of self discovery. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide Click link below to view actual article
You can get NY Times article by going to this link.

FOX NEWS
I am very pleased that the Toronto Film Festival chose "Bella" to win their top audience award over the weekend…. It's incredibly charming, with terrific performances by Tammy Blanchard and Mexican star Eduardo Verástegui and Manny Perez. It's directed by Alejandro Gomez Monteverde. It's too easy to say this is the "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" of this season, because "Bella" is far more complex and sophisticated while losing none of the humor. Whoever decides to release "Bella" will have a nice little hit on their hands. The freshness and lack of affectation in "Bella" must have appealed to audiences who had to endure a number of big-name films that seemed contrived, stale or calculated. You can get read the article by going to this link

HOLLYWOOD REPORTER: “Bella” Wins
TORONTO -- A trio of Mexicans triumphed at the Toronto International Film Festival on Saturday when their U.S. independent drama "Bella" captured the People's Choice Award, voted on by festival audiences…. "These Mexican guys go to America and beat the American independents at their game -- it's impressive," Toronto festival co-director Noah Cowan said after an awards luncheon. You can get Hollywood Reporter logo and authors name for the article by going to this link.

HOLLYWOOD REPORTER: The Story Behind “Bella”
Winning in Toronto can be the first step on the road to Oscar and Golden Globes success. "Bella" could wind up following in the footsteps of such past Toronto winnersas: "American Beauty," which won five Oscars in 2000, including best picture and director, and three Globes, including best picture and director; "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," which won four Oscars in 2001, including best foreign language film, was a best picture Oscar nominee and won two Globes, including best director for Ang Lee. Read the article here.

VARIETY - William Triplett, Variety.com
"This movie depicts the culture but also transcends it," said Pilar O'Leary, exec director of the Smithsonian Institute's Latino Center. "It has universal appeal."Which is why the Latino Center is presenting Verastegui and helmer Alejandro Monteverde with its award for emerging talent. Pic doesn't see release until August, but because of the increasing buzz, the Mexican Embassy wanted to sponsor a private screening as part of its Cinco de Mayo bash. Click here to read the entire article.

AFI (American Film Institute) Movie Review - Dallas
Life is really, really hard; thank god it's so beautiful - it's one of those rare films that catches you by the emotional short hairs and refuses to let go. By the time the final reel plays, you're going to be weeping tears of commingled sadness and joy - unless you happen to have blocked tear ducts. (And, if you do, you might consider a viewing of this movie as a possible cure.) Bella is really not so much a love story (in the sense of two people falling head over heels) as it is a story about love and how it can heal psychic wounds and enrich our lives. -John P. Meyer, AFI Dallas.
To read the article click here.

InCONTENTION.com
"Bella" marks the debut feature of Alejandro Gomez Monteverde, a truly humble man in awe of the fact that he's actually made it here. It's better to know as little as possible about this film before going into it but let me tell you that it feels both sincere and loving. It's great to see a film that legitimately moves the viewer without being drowned in sap. And it does this in just 90 minutes. If it comes your way, see it. You won't regret it. You can read the article by going to this link

NBC, Miami
"Bella is a romantic drama full of heart, soul and beautiful messages. It's a film that will stay with you forever!Powerful, passionate and unpredictable, Bella is a rare gem, a true surprise. A movie that can transform your life and keep you thinking. Bella is a cinematic jewel. One of the best films I've seen in a long time".Watch out for its extraordinary cast, especially Mexican leading man Eduardo Verastegui, truly the “Brad Pitt of Latin America”. -- Maria Salas, NBC-Miami

Steve McEveety - A Producer of The Passion of the Christ and Braveheart
“I have not seen this type of audience support since "The Passion of the Christ”.

BELLA Filmmakers win Toronto Film Festival and are honored by the Smithsonian, White House & Mexican Embassy

Little film has big heart and big hopes forthe Oscar

Bella won the People's Choice Award, which is often an indicator of future Academy Award nominations. – ABC NEWS

 

 

 

 

Bella Wins the Most Influential Film Festival in the World

Bella is one of 300 films to get into the Toronto International Film Festival, amongst over 5,000 films that have applied.

Bella took top prize at Toronto International Film Festival by winning the “The People’s Choice” Award.

Previous winners have gone on to win Oscars for Best Picture including films like: Chariots of Fire, American Beauty, Life is Beautiful, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Hotel Rwanda.

Bella has been the official selection of the following Film Festivals: LA Latin Film Festival,Miami, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Dallas, Austin SXSW, and Mexican Film Festival.

Bella Honored by Smithsonian, White House & Mexican Embassy

Bella honored by Smithsonian Latino Center at private screening hosted by Jeb and Columba Bush atthe Gusman Center in Miami. The Smithsonian Latino Center is giving Bella filmmakers the “Legacy Award” at their annual Gala in September for being amongst the most influential Latino role models of their time.

Bella’s director, Alejandro Monteverde, has received the “American By Choice” Award at a private reception at the White House for his contributions to Latino arts and culture

The Mexican Ambassador selected Bella for a special film presentation at the Embassy’s Cultural Institute before their Cinco De Mayo event for Hispanic leaders. A Mexican Governor is giving the filmmakers the Latino Image Award ata private ceremony that same day.

Bella Has Oscar Hopes

There is speculation that Bella might do what another heart-warming film did 25-years-ago. Chariots of Fire, the little-known independent British film, also by a first-time director and featuring unknown actors, surprised everyone by winning Toronto and then winning an Oscar for best picture over the $35million star-studded Reds. Perhaps history will repeat itself.

In light of the fact that Mexican film makers broke a record this year, garnering 17 Oscar nominations for films like Babel (Alejandro González Iñárritu) , Pan's Labyrinth (Guillermo del Toro) and Children of Men (Alfonso Cuarón), many people hope Bella’s Mexican filmmakers will follow in the footsteps of last year’s Mexican Oscar winners.

Bella Brings Together Record Breaking Artists For A Cause ThatMatters

After falling in love with the film, record-breaking Grammy Award winning Latino musician artist Alejandro Sanz donates two songs to the Bella soundtrack.

Lead singer of Switchfoot donates two songs to contribute to Bella’s mission, to make movies that matter.

Bella’s soundtrack has a waiting list of fans wanting to buy it months before release.

Bella filmmakers travel the world to build support from leaders who share their mission

Bella’s filmmaker’s mission is to make movies that matter. They want to make films that make a positive impact on the world.

They have set their careers aside to promote their mission and to build support for the August release of Bella

Bella’s grass roots marketing efforts have resulted in hundreds of theaters being pre-purchased for exclusive screenings the week before the film’s weekend release.

Thousands of supporters volunteered to promote Bella leading up to its August release.

A documentary has been capturing how Bella’s first-timer filmmakers turned a dream into an award-winning film in less than a year with out the financing and support of Hollywood.

Bella has big heart and big hopes for the Oscar
written by Aaron Glickman

This September, the Smithsonian Latino Center will be presenting Eduardo Verastegui, (actor/producer) and Alejandro Monteverde (writer/director) from Metanoia Films with the “Legacy Award” for their film Bella at its annual ¡Smithsonian Con Sabor! gala. The Center’s Legacy Awards honor role-models of Hispanic heritage who have made a significant impact on American culture and society through their work. The Center will also host a special screening of Bella this summer at the Smithsonian in Washington for national Latino leaders.

“We admire and applaud Metanoia Films for presenting the Latino immigrant experience in an honest and dignified light and their work’s impact on American culture,” said Pilar O’Leary, the dynamic executive director of the Smithsonian Latino Center. A former investment banker and lawyer at firms such as Goldman, Sachs & Co., JP Morgan and Fannie Mae, O’Leary opted to use her business acumen to promote better understanding of Latino culture in America by assuming the role at the Smithsonian in August 2005, succeeding U.S. Treasurer Ana Escobedo Cabral.The Smithsonian award is one more mark of prestige in Verastegui’s and Monteverde’s impressive career as filmmakers. The story behind these wonderful men is an inspiration to all artists who pursue a dream and do what it takes to make it a reality.

Eduardo Verástegui is the son of a sugar cane farmer from a small town in Mexico named Xicotencatl. During a phenomenal career as a recording artist who toured in 13 countries and an actor who starred in five highly-rated telenovelas and theAmerican film Chasing Papi, Verastegui had been signed by a high-profile talent agency and management company who were guiding his fast track to stardom. As his career was skyrocketing Verastegui realized that he was unfulfilled and that he wanted something more. He wanted to make films that “have the potential to touch people’s hearts and minds”. He did not want to continue to take roles that contributed to the negative stereotype of Latinos in film. “I wanted to portray Latinos as heroes, not like Batman or Superman, but everyday heroes who are hard working people of integrity, individuals who are willing to sacrifice for their family and for others,” saidVerastegui. There were not a lot of projects coming out of Hollywood that were in line with his mission. “After not working for almost 3 years I realized that I had to start my own production company that would make films that entertain, engage and inspire audiences with a positive message. Family is the foundation of society for the Latino culture and I want to pursue projects that show how families protect, help and love each other, “says Verastegui. “Both Alejandro (the director) and I wanted to show Latino culture in a positive way without being unrealistic.”

Born in the small town of Tampico, Mexico, Alejandro Monteverde knew from a very young age that he wanted to become a filmmaker. But that dream, to a boy from a small town in Mexico, seemed about as likely as winning tops honors at the most influential film festival in the world, which he accomplished with Bella. At the age of seventeen, with the support of his family, Monteverde journeyed to the UnitedStates without knowing a word of English to enroll at the University of Texas’ film school, one of the top film programs in the nation. Denied admission several times, Monteverde knew that he hadn’t traveled that far to accept defeat so easily. He attended a local community college and kept reapplying.Overcoming the hurdle of the admissions process, a lack of fluent English and a constant shortage of money, Monteverde’s tenacity finally earned him a seat at the UT, where he quickly excelled, breaking the school’s award-winning track record. He won 4 festivals the first time he picked up a camera for Bocho and then won 7 festivals for his second short film Waiting for Trains.

After graduating from the University of Texas, Monteverde joined forces with superstar actor Verastegui and Leo Severino (20th Century Fox business affairs exec) to create Metanoia Films to make movies that matter. The “Three Amigos” designed their business cards and were ready togo but the only problem was that they did not have financing. Along came Sean Wolfington and Eustace Wolfington, entrepreneurs who shared their vision for making meaningful movies. The Wolfington’s agreed to finance the film and the “5 Amigos” formed a production company called Metanoia Films andfinished the development of the script. After sharing their vision with Hollywood studios they could not get financial support so they risked their own money to film Bella in New York City in only 24 days on a shoe-string budget. One year later Bella won one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world, the Toronto’s International Film Festival, by winning the highly-coveted “People’s Choice Award,” a distinction that puts it in the company of such Oscar-winning films as Chariots of Fire, American Beauty, Life is Beautiful, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Hotel Rwanda. Last year's winner, Tsotsi, won the Oscar for best foreign-language film.

Despite the films award in Toronto, distributors were not willing to finance a general release. While Hollywood distributors told them their film did not have enough “edge” audiences were movedby it’s beauty and begged them to bring the film to their local theaters. Such encouragement led the film-makers to risk their own advertising dollars and to recruit the help of others who believe in their mission. Since they don’t have a $100 million ad budget, they are traveling the country to garner all the support they can get. The grassroots marketing of Bella has generated incredible buzz and momentum which has enabled the filmmakers to collect over 11 million contacts in their database. “We have an army of people who love and believe in Bella and they have volunteered to do concrete activities to help mobilize people on opening weekend,” said financierand producer Sean Wolfington. The filmmakers have dedicated an entire section of their website, http://www.bellathemovie.com/, to equip people to promote their film and to pre-purchase tickets and entire theaters. As a result they have pre-sold hundreds of theatersmonths before the August release. At the same time, the Bella team has garnered prestigious awards from the Smithsonian, the White House and film festivals around the world. “Our mission is to make films that make a positive impact and we need the support of everyone who shares that mission” said Wolfington.

Bella was selected by Edward James Olmos to open the LA Latino International Film Festival out of the thousands of films produced this year. “It is one of the most impressive landmark films to open our festival in 10 years… a film people have to see, it really captures the heart and makes you think. It is one of the best films to come out ina longtime,” said Olmos.

Shortly after the recognition by Olmos, Bella was selected to screen on opening weekend of the Miami International Film Festival. Monteverde was also given an award by the Department of Immigration at the White House for the positive contribution Bella has made to U.S. culture.

Additionally, the movie features a beautiful music score with a work composed and performed by Grammy award-winning singer/songwriter Alejandro Sanz. “We showed the film to Alejandro in his house and he loved it. He gave us a song from his new best selling CD, El Tren de los Momentos, and it is absolutely beautiful,” said Wolfington. An American band, Switchfoot, also donated a song after being inspired by the film during a private screening. “It is amazing how this story has brought together incredibly talented artists who want to help in any way they can.”

If winning such professional acclaim had seemed impossible, marrying a former Miss USA seemed like an even more remote possibility. Yet in 2006 Monteverde wed Ali Landry, an accomplished actress, beginning the most important chapter in the story of his American dream. Ms. Landry and Monteverde are expecting a child next summer, an event which the filmmaker cites as more important than any award or accoladehe could win for his professional work.

There is speculation that Bella might do what another heart-warming film did 25-years-ago. Chariots of Fire, the little-known independent British film, also by a first-time director and featuring unknown actors, surprised everyone by winning Toronto and then winning an Oscar for best picture over the $35million star-studded Reds. Perhaps history will repeat itself. In light of the fact that Mexican film makers broke a record this year, garnering 17 Oscar nominations for films like Babel (Alejandro González Iñárritu) , Pan's Labyrinth (Guillermo del Toro) and Children of Men (Alfonso Cuarón), many people hope Bella’s Mexican filmmakers will follow in the footsteps of last years Oscar nominees.

The stories of Eduardo Verastegui and Alejandro Monteverde are as compelling as the story of Bella itself. They have clearly emerged as important role models to Latinos and all Americans searching to tell their story, inspire others and achieve their dreams.

THE SMITHSONIAN
Founded in 1846, the Smithsonian Institution is the largest and most visited museum and research complex in the world with 19 museums, 7 research centers and more than 150 affiliated organizations across the United States and internationally. More than 20 million visitors come to Smithsonian museums each year. In 1997, the Smithsonian Board of Regents established the Smithsonian Latino Center to ensure that “American history and culture may be displayed in allof itsdiversity.” The Center achieves its mission by ensuring that Latino contributions to the arts, sciences and the humanities are highlighted, understood and advanced through public programs, exhibitions, research, collections and educational initiatives at the Smithsonian and its affiliated organizations.