Focus on the Family honors Bella, a Major Motion Picture made by a producer of “The Passion of the Christ”, for it’s celebration of faith, family and life.
In director Alejandro Monteverde’s emotional tale of selfdiscovery, two people whose lives are changed forever discover that sometimes it takes losing it all to finally appreciate the things that truly matter. Starring Mexican superstar Eduardo Verastegui (Chasing Papi) and Emmy award winning Tammy Blanchard (The Good Shepherd), Bella is a heartwarming love story that goes much deeper than romance. Bella is an unforgettable story that celebrates life, family, relationships and our capacity for love in the face of the unexpected.
Eduardo Verastegui, lead actor of Bella, joined Dr Dobson at the Awards Gala where Dr Dobson was honored and given the Vision award. Doctor Dobson endorsed Bella when he said “Bella is a moving and inspirational movie. In a day of Hollywood’s excesses, profanities and foolishness, this sensitive film speaks eloquently of life, love and beauty. I enjoyed it very much.”
Five Christians started a new production company called Metanoia Films with the mission of making movies that mattered and that could make a positive impact on the world. After sharing their vision with Hollywood studios they could not get financial support so they risked their own money to make their first film, Bella, on a shoe string budget in New York. One year later Bella unexpectedly won the largest film festival in the world, the Toronto 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.
It was a stretch even to get “Bella” shown at Toronto, much less win an award as first time filmmakers. “Going into the festival,” said the Hollywood Reporter columnist Martin Grove, “absolutely no one, including the team of filmmakers that made ‘Bella,’ ever imagined it would capture the People’s Choice Award.” Since Toronto, the Bella team has been honored at the Smithsonian Institute, the Mexican Embassy and the White house for its positive contribution to the arts and culture.
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 made by Christian filmmakers, 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.
“But even with the Toronto prize, which in the past has led to Academy and Golden Globe awards, it is hard to get the film in movie houses,” explained Robert Novak in the NY Post and Washington Times. Novak’s article speculates that “the same Hollywood establishment that attacked The Passion of the Christ is sniping at Bella.”
But Hollywood’s reluctance has been overshadowed by the deafening buzz that the grassroots marketing of Bella has generated. The film has been adopted by the Christian and Adoption communities because the story is a faith affirming love story that celebrates Christian values and Adoption in a real and relatable way while entertaining audiences with award winning storytelling, performances and cinematography. Christian and Adoption leaders who have seen the film have already begun to claim it as their own—and with good reason. Having watched the film several times and most recently at the Annual Adoption Summit, we can fully appreciate their enthusiasm. Without question, this is one of the most powerful stories ever committed to celluloid since The Passion of the Christ. “I have not seen this type of audience response and support since The Passion. While The Passion showed how Christ died for us, Bella shows how we should live for others,” explained Steve McEveety, a producer of The Passion of the Christ and Braveheart.
Like the record breaking classic, Metanoia Films made a great film that went against the grain of Hollywood’s formula of sex, drugs and violence. Without all of the profanity Bella portrays the tragedies and triumphs of life in a very real and relatable way. And like The Passion of the Christ—which had award winning performances and cinematography—Bella is powerful work of art.
Bella tells a classic love story: not Hollywood’s standard insipid, oversexed saga of lust, but a tale about two virtual strangers whose lives converge over a single day when both believe they have lost all. Through their time spent together, they come to realize that by losing “everything” the world has to offer, they discover everything that truly matters. “Bella is truly a magical film about life, family, love and perseverance in the face of adversity,” said Jim Daly, president of Focus on the Family.
While Hollywood distributors claimed the film did not have enough “edge”, audiences were moved by its beauty and begged the filmmakers to bring it to their local theaters. Such encouragement led the Metanoia team to risk their own money to distribute the film on their own just like The Passion of the Christ did. Since they don’t have a $100 million ad budget, they are traveling the country to garner all the support they can get from the same groups that made the Passion successful – churches.
Focus on the Family and many other Christian organizations are helping Bella make history by providing unprecedented support for the film because “it is a powerful movie that reveals the beauty of sacrificial love,” said Jim Daly. Focus on the Family gave Bella an appreciation award for its beautiful and honest portrayal of the power of the family and the beauty of Adoption. Bob Waliszewski, one of Focus on the Families movie critics for Plugged In magazine and websites, says, “by means of an extremely creative and compelling story, Bella reminds all of us how valuable is a single human life, and how noble are those who sacrifice to rescue a child who’s unable to speak up for him/herself.”
More Christians today understand the impact that media has on the world and they have been actively involved in supporting positive films that have the potential to change culture. Churches are becoming more creative in how they use films to fulfill their mission in their local communities. Churches and Adoption organizations across the country are hosting private screening events of Bella the week before its release at the end of August. Through these screenings, organizations are raising funds and attracting new members while making a positive impact in the community. The fundraising and outreach events are easy to implement because the filmmakers supply the plan and the tools to make the “Movie Night” a success.
But it is not enough that a handful of organizations get involved. If we want Americans to respect the value of faith and family then we need to “light a candle rather than curse the darkness” by actively promoting positive media and films like Bella so we can use them as a tool for change. If we fail to do so, we will have no one else to blame but ourselves for how Hollywood is contributing to the decline of our country’s moral fabric.
The grassroots marketing of Bella has generated incredible buzz and momentum; “We have an army of people share our mission and they have volunteered to mobilize people on opening weekend,” said financier and producer Sean Wolfington. The filmmakers have dedicated an entire section of their website, www.bellathemovie.com, to equip people to promote their film and to pre-purchase tickets and entire theatres.