Awakening Beauty
| Awakening Beauty | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Spanish | Bella |
| Directed by |
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| Screenplay by |
|
| Starring | |
| Edited by | Manuel H. Martín |
| Music by | Beatriz López Nogales |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Syldavia Cinema |
Release dates |
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Running time | 61 minutes |
| Countries |
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| Language | Spanish |
Awakening Beauty (Spanish: Bella)[1] is a 2025 animated drama film directed by Manuel H. Martín and Amparo Martínez Barco. It tackles violence against women and its red flags.
Plot
[edit]The plot follows Bella a young woman with a brilliant future who falls for artist Ponce. Moving forward six years, they are married, had children and are living in a luxury residence but, as her "Prince Charming" turns out to be a monster, she is also enduring protracted psychological violence and abuse.[2][3]
Cast
[edit]- Michelle Jenner as Bella[4]
- Víctor Clavijo as Ponce[4]
Production
[edit]Written by Manuel H. Martín and Carmen Jiménez, the screenplay is freely inspired by the real life experiences of Ana Bella Estévez, a Sevillian activist against gender violence.[5][3] The film is a Spanish-American co-production by La Claqueta PC alongside Bella Animación La Película AIE, Tal y Cual, and Miami Film Gate.[5]
Release
[edit]Awakening Beauty had its world premiere at the 70th Valladolid International Film Festival on 27 October 2025.[6] Distributed by Syldavia Cinema,[5] it was released theatrically in Spain on 28 November 2025.
Reception
[edit]Salvador Llopart of La Vanguardia rated Awakening Beauty 2 out of 5 stars, deeming it to be, rather than a film, "a pamphlet that is not ashamed to be one".[7]
David Arroyo of MeriStation rated the film 3 out of 5 stars, declaring it a sort of "instruction manual with examples of abuse, consequences, and solutions", albeit a quite comprehensive and well developed one.[8]
Accolades
[edit]| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2025 | 31st Forqué Awards | Best Animation Film | Nominated | [9] | |
2026 |
5th Carmen Awards | Best Animation Film | Won | [10] | |
| 81st CEC Medals | Best Animation Film | Nominated | [11] | ||
| 40th Goya Awards | Best Animated Film | Nominated | [12] | ||
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ "Bella". Seminci. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
- ↑ Ortiz, B. (28 November 2025). "'Bella': cuando el príncipe se revela como un monstruo". Diario de Sevilla. Grupo Joly.
- 1 2 Jiménez, Jesús (27 October 2025). "'Bella', una película de animación que ayuda a los chavales a identificar la violencia de género". rtve.es.
- 1 2 Sanz, María (December 2025). "No son víctimas, son supervivientes" (PDF). Best Movie (34): 58. ISSN 2952-4075.
- 1 2 3 "Olmo Figueredo: «'Bella' era una película predestinada a no salir adelante»". Audiovisual451. 7 November 2025.
- ↑ Íñigo Malanda, Fernando. "Programación del lunes en Seminci: de 'Lionel' a 'Palestine 36'". Diario de Valladolid.
- ↑ Llopart, Salvador (28 November 2025). "Panfleto con mensaje".
- ↑ Arroyo, David (27 November 2025). "Crítica de 'Bella', un manual de red flags para detectar el maltrato y arrancarlo de raíz". MeriStation – via As.
- ↑ Quijano, F.D. (13 December 2025). "Premios Forqué 2025: la lista completa de todos los ganadores". El Cultural – via El Español.
- ↑ "Alberto Rodríguez se reivindica con sus 10 galardones para 'Los Tigres' en los Premios Carmen". Kinótico. 1 February 2026.
- ↑ Arias, Mariajo (24 February 2026). "'Los domingos' copa un palmarés de las Medallas CEC con premios para 'Anatomía de un instante'". Kinótico.
- ↑ Cabeza, Elisabet (13 January 2026). "'Sundays', 'Sirât' lead 40th Goya Awards nominations". ScreenDaily. Retrieved 13 January 2026.
External links
[edit]- Awakening Beauty at ICAA's Catálogo de Cinespañol