BELLA CIAO!
PR, Marketing & Distribution Consultant
The Opportunity
For Bella Ciao! Pender PR was involved in all aspects of the films premiere from festival through theatrical. This was a true partnership that lasted through the films run and distribution. We advised on release strategy, marketing materials, social media and grassroots community outreach.
The Results
This was a hands-on approach to the films release. We worked with the team on event-based screenings which included themed evenings, an opening night party with a marching band and we provided traditional publicity services in each city the film launched. We booked interviews for the team internationally on Film Live, Face2Face Live, Vancouver Sun, Georgia Straight and secured reviews in The Globe & Mail, National Post and the National Observer.
We worked closely with the filmmakers, partnered and oversaw the social media and marketing strategies at each stage of the films release. Additional screenings were added as well as a secondary run in Vancouver. We supported the film’s release theatrically in Winnipeg, Toronto and then we adapted to a virtual screening experience with Reel Causes during Covid-19.
BELLA CIAO! Synopsis
Carolyn Combs’ ensemble drama is a film about home and displacement, isolation and solidarity. Set during the arc of one day, the film stars Carmen Aguirre as Constanza, a refugee who fled the coup against Salvador Allende in Chile, and now calls East Vancouver home. Bella Ciao! weaves the stories of her friends and neighbours – activists, artists, hustlers and coffee house consiglieri – to capture how traditions of solidarity renew across cultures and generations. Viva East Van!