Bella Vita - North American Premiere

It's been an amazing week at the Santa Barbara Int'l Film Festival.  We are so grateful for the amazing turn-out at both our screenings and all the positive feedback for the film.  Even the L.A. Times found our Arlington Theater marquee for the Calendar section.  I've also seen some awesome films and met some really inspired filmmakers.  Kudos to my new friends from Austria who made, "The Young, The Old & The Sea," for a job really well done.  Also, a big cheers to the "Queens & Cowboys" team who played to great reviews.  I also enjoyed the Japanese remake of "Unforgiven."  If you loved the Clint Eastwood original but have a soft spot for Kurosawa films like Yojimbo and RAN - this pic was epic-good-fun.

Here is a link to some moments from our big Arlington Theater Debut.
- click here - 

- I'll post some more photos soon.

Arts London News calls Bella Vita "a stunning piece of visual art"

Reviews scare me.  I know not everyone is gonna like the stuff we make.  That said, after years of blood, sweat and tears, it is really nice when someone connects with the content.  A big thanks to the London Arts News for their kind words about Bella Vita.

http://www.artslondonnews.com/2013/11/06/bella-vita-at-the-london-surffilm-festival/

Bella Vita to Premiere at the 2014 Santa Barbara International Film Festival

We are excited to announce our U.S. Premiere of Bella Vita at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.  SBIFF has been very supportive of my work through the years and it was actually the first place I met Chris Del Moro.  He was screening Sliding Liberia and I was screening One California Day.  So it is truly an honor to be a part of this year's gala.  SBIFF will announce screening times the 3rd week of January.

http://sbiff.org

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.