Bella Vita wins in Germany & London !

I must say, making Bella Vita has been an intense and challenging journey.  I am so happy that the finished film is finally reaching audiences.  We are working hard to create a distribution plan that will make it easy for people to find the film in 2014.

This is a small, independent project so we appreciate your patience and support.  A big thanks to all who have supported this endeavor.  Hopefully, more fun to come!

JB Films for BMW Motorcycles

We had an awesome time last week with the gang from Tether and BMW motorcycles to bring visual motion fun to the launch of BMW's new Nine-T.  There's just something sweet about a well-made motorcycle.  It was a pleasure to direct.

A big thanks goes out to my great cast, entire crew, the team @FarmLeague and the extended Venice Beach Motorcycle family who all pitched in to help out.

I'm looking forward to the edit with Ting @SpotWelders.  more to come!

#FeedYourRestless  #BigBoyToys  #TheEdge  #9T  @BMWmotorrad

Bella Vita World Premieres at 61st Annual San Sebastian Film Fest

We just returned from an amazing week on the Basque Coast, chasing waves, screening movies and enjoying tapas, wine, cerveza and I am so proud of the positive response to Bella Vita at the San Sebastian Film Festival.

I think we felt a bit like scally-wag-surfers crashing a swanky party, sharing the red carpet amongst the likes of Oliver Stone, Annette Bening and Alfonso Cuaron but in the end, Savage Cinema curator, Sancho Rodriguez and his team gave us an extremely warm reception.

It is always a bit scary to premiere a new film, especially after years of hard work.  This journey started with Chris Del Moro two years ago in Bali, casually discussing ideas for new projects and has grown to a huge extended family of supporters who believed in our vision.  From close friends, traveling surfers, film technicians and craftsmen, Bella Vita has been a group effort and proof that great things can happen from a collection of like-minded individuals who believe in a common goal.  

Bella Vita is a coming of age story painted against the beauty and tradition of modern italy, as told through the eyes of my friend, traveling surfer, artist and environmental activist Chris Del Moro.  In a time of personal exploration, Chris is enlightened by his surf inspired experiences on the-road-less-traveled by passionate friends and family dedicated to the things they love, revealing a greater truth about the simple blessings in life. 

I can share a similar experience through making the film and the journey has truly been the destination.  I'm excited to exhibit our work with the world.  San Sebastian is a film market and we are currently discussing our distribution in all territories with various vendors.  Feel free to join our Bella Vita mailing list for updates here on how you can see the film.  

One Cal Day - Venice Summer Screening

check out my 2008 co-production with mark jeremias, One California Day, under the stars to benefit surfrider this month in Venice, Ca.

Epic Waikiki

This is some of the coolest archival footage i've ever seen of Waikiki sliders

If it was easy...

On the heels of successfully funding our kickstarter campaign to bring in some dollars to support post-production-finishing for my new film, Bella Vita - I sit in an edit bay feeling great gratitude towards all who stepped up and pitched in to make our goal a reality.

Flashback 60days, I was burning the mid-night oil organizing footage for my editor, my finances running tight, another 18 hour work-day on the film and I had just passed on another "paid" work-opportunity so I could keep complete focus on Bella Vita.  My wife reminded me that my 1yr old son misses his dad and went to bed.  Stewing in the bluish pale light of my computer monitor, I rang a good friend feeling a bit defeated about the whole endeavor but got his voice mail.  I'm sure I spewed some half baked tequila-logic inspired rant about creativity, capitalism and a need to surf warm water.  His reply came back via text.
It said:

7 years ago, while we were struggling through the build-out of our new bar, you told me, "if it was easy everyone would do it - and if everyone did it, it would be lame"
baffa, making a film is not lame.  you rock on!

I love it when my friends remember things I say worth remembering and remind me, since I tend to forget as soon the insight leaves my mouth.  

I guess, He and "I", were right.  Often, we need to be reminded that things worth doing take some effort and moreover, sometimes they take extraordinary effort.  Perhaps the struggle is part of the journey that attracts me to these projects.  They never seem easy at the time but when the lights in the theatre dim and picture goes up- it is so extremely rewarding.

The kickstarter supporters have just made things a bit easier to rally some support to help me bring this adventure home.  I can't tell you how much I appreciate the support towards our effort to make Bella Vita great.  I thank you again.

For those interested, there are still some rewards available for the next 24 or-so hours.  cheers. jb

Bella Vita in SURFER MAG, April Issue

we are stoked to be represented in this April 2013 issue of SURFER MAG.  if interested - here is my unedited interview about the project.

"One could expect the idea for a film about a surfer’s exploration through Italy would be born from copious amounts of pasta pomodoro and Chianti but in fact, Bella Vita was first discussed over cold Bintangs and Nasi Goreng during a game of Jenga in Katut’s kitchen on the island of Nusa Lembongan, Bali.

It was there that Chris del Moro and I first bonded on the fact that as two blonde-haired, blue-eyed traveling surfers, we were both, ironically enough, the sons of Italian Fathers.  We shared, as every Italian can, the warm memories of Nonna’s kitchen on a sunday, big family gatherings and an eager desire to return to the homeland.  It wasn’t until a few months later that we met in a South Bay cafe and truly discussed the potential to make Bella Vita the film a reality.  Chris shared stories of splitting his adolescence between San Diego and Italy, reveling in the adventure and culture he digested.  I shared my eagerness to take on a third film in the surf-genre but to do something different.

From there, I spent a year developing the idea with Chris and a passionate producing team, aligning ourselves with a core group of Italian locals, who without, this film could truly never have happened.  We also enlisted a surrounding cast, all of whom have special connections with the region.

My goal was to document their journey through Italy in a way that takes the viewer on a fantastic ride.  In this current interconnected world, where you can watch jaw-dropping footage on the internet in real-time, I wanted to create a movie that was intimately experiential.  Something, like the aforementioned pasta, that the audience could really sink their teeth into.  Let’s call it a documentary film about surfers.  A film filled with passionate characters, beautiful scenery, culture, adventure and life, beautiful life- Bella Vita."

- jason baffa, January 2013 

Bella Vita, new film teaser & website

we are proud to announce www.bellavitafilm.com is LIVE - please check it out to see our new film teaser and website.

and feel free to join the conversation at:
www.facebook.com/bellavitafilm