Pro-life indie movie gets awards but can’t get into theatres

Posted on December 1, 2006 | 2 Comments

Bella, an independent film produced by some young, Catholic, Hispanic filmmakers, has won an award at the Toronto International Film Festival, and is making the rounds of “private showings,” but it is not being picked up by any mainline distributers because of its pro-life message. Read more above.

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2 responses to “Pro-life indie movie gets awards but can’t get into theatres”

  1. Anonymous | December 1, 2006 at 1:51 pm | Reply

    “because of its pro-life message” is a half-truth. I’m sure that it doesn’t help that the movie goes against the Hollywood grain, but it’s also an independent film with no box-office names. It probably doesn’t have much advertising, either. Movie theaters can’t really afford to show films like this very much. It’s somewhat disengenuous to suggest that all of these theaters are refusing to show it just because of its pro-life message.

  2. John C. Hathaway | December 3, 2006 at 5:42 pm | Reply

    Well, that’s Novak’s implication, not mine.

    However, the point is that this film isn’t getting picked up *at all*. Totally independent films usually get some level of commercial attention, at least in “art houses,” and when they get awards, they get distributed.

    Even _Therese_, which was totally independent and rather lame as both a film and a biography of the Little Flower, and never got any awards, got wide theatrical release and has remained on Blockbuster’s “New Releases” shelf for quite some time.

    It would be one thing to say that it was a totally independent film, with little financial backing, was unable to get distributed. In that case, you’re right, it would be disingenuous to imply that was mianly because of a “pro-life” message (though that would undoubtedly be the reason for financial refusing to support it).

    But This film *has* some momentum, and it has received awards. Similar films of its same situation that deal with, say, “transgender” issues, would be the talk of the movie industry.

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