Christianity Today

Remember Bella, the marvelous little 2007 film that so beautifully celebrated the sanctity of life? (If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it; it's on Netflix.)

Some of the folks behind that film -- including Bella star Eduardo Verástegui and director Alejandro Monteverde -- are behind a new short film film called Crescendo, now playing at limited festivals, with a DVD release TBA. The 15-minute movie has already received the Crystal Heart Award from the Heartland Film Festival.

Based on a true story, Crescendo tells the tale of a pregnant 18th century woman whose life is a mess -- she's already lost her first husband, two children, and her mother, and her current husband is an abusive drunk. Faced with bringing a new baby into this environment, she considers an abortion and even suicide . . . until something happens to change everything. We'll leave it at that.

"I have been fortunate to work on a number of outstanding projects," says Verástegui, "but never one that has touched me like Crescendo. The film sends an incredible message to the world and cherishes the most valuable thin on earth . . . human life."

Crescendo, directed by Alonso Alvarez and co-produced by Verástegui, is the first project from Movie to Movement, a company "devoted to producing and sharing films that promote the beauty and dignity" of human life. The film was funded through the non-profit initiative Your Film Fund (YFF), a crowd-funding site similar to Kickstarter, but focused solely on film. Like Movie to Movement, YFF has the goal of producing films that celebrate life, love, and beauty.

Movie to Movement founder Jason Jones says they started YFF "because we were tired of seeing projects hit the shelves because of a lack of funding. We not only want to make it easier for filmmakers to raise the money needed to hit the Hollywood back lot, but we also want to make it easier for those who support films that do more than entertain."

Added Verástegui, "Art can poison or heal, because it's able to elevate the human spirit. I'm only interested in getting involved in a project that has the aim of doing good -- one that recovers the most important values, like love and honesty."