2008 Woodie Awards
Students promote film, praise pro-life message
Abby Haun
Issue date: 12/4/07 Section: Features
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However, to the students who are promoting the film on the UST campus, "Bella" is more than just a movie. It is a movement.
The film was shot, on a shoestring budget, over a period of 24 days in New York City. Although it won the coveted People's Choice Award at the Toronto Film Festival, putting it in the company of Oscar-winning films such as "American Beauty" and "Hotel Rwanda," it has been largely ignored by Hollywood.
One organization that did take notice was Texas Right to Life. The pro-life group began spreading the word to various church groups in Texas, informing them of the film's moral message concerning the dignity of human life.
Junior communication major Cimela Kidonakis attended a private screening of the film for community leaders and potential promoters during the summer with her mother, who is a leader at her family's Catholic church.
She said that she was immediately moved by the film's beauty. Following the screening, Kidonakis attended a Q-and-A session with the lead actor/producer and another producer. She told the lead actor, Eduardo Verástegui, about how the students at UST are taught about the dignity of the human person.
"He hugged me and gave me a medal blessed by the pope," she said. She added that Verástegui encouraged audience members to promote the film to the best of their ability.
When the semester began, Kidonakis decided to form a Facebook group, "Bella the Movie," to raise awareness of the film among her fellow students.
"The film had a good message and I wanted to help promote it," she said. "It's a beautiful story showing a man taking the time to be a good friend, which is something young people should learn about." The group now has more than 230 members.
Graduate student Iván Navarro, a seminarian, has also been instrumental in raising awareness of the film on campus. He said that he first got involved with "Bella" on a personal level.