University of Texas at Austin Alumnus Wins Top Prize at Toronto International Film Festival
AUSTIN, Texas — Sept. 25, 2006 — University of Texas at Austin Radio-TV-Film alumnus Alejandro Gomez Monteverde (B.S. 2002) has won the “People’s Choice” award at the Toronto International Film Festival for his debut feature film “Bella.”
The “People’s Choice” award, the top prize at the festival, is voted on by festival audiences. Previous films that have won the “People’s Choice” award include “Chariots of Fire,” “American Beauty” and “Life is Beautiful” — each of which has won an Academy Award. Last year’s winner, “Tsotsi,” won an Oscar for best foreign-language film.
“Bella,” which was written and directed by Monteverde, is an English-language drama about an international soccer star and an attractive waitress whose lives converge and turn upside down on a single day in New York City.
This is Monteverde’s feature directorial debut, which was shot by University of Texas at Austin alumnus Andrew Cadelago (B.S. 2002), in just 24 days. The filmmaker is hoping to show the romantic drama in Austin in about a month.
Reuters news service quoted a surprised Monteverde at the awards ceremony saying, “I really hope that this is not a dream and that I don’t wake up at film school. This festival is my first festival. It’s my first film. It’s my first everything.”
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Contact: Erin Geisler
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