Bellas

Bellas is a short documentary shot in 10 hours and executed in less than three weeks. It portraits a Cuban modeling school in Havana managed by Gysleda de la Barca, one of the first black models in the country. She helps her students to find an inner strength and confidence that drives their external beauty. She breaks stereotypes of beauty in the modeling world, often otherwise seen as superficial. Through Gysleda we meet Glenda, whose dream was to become a professional classical ballet dancer but she couldn’t because of the color of her skin; and Roxanna, who has been bullied in school for always being the tallest of her class. Gysleda empowered both women by building their inner strength and now they are two of the most promising models in Cuba.

Co-Regie: Meike Denneman