There’s a new villain in town and, the fate of the world may be at stake…
13-year-old new comer Bella Zoe (Hour of Lead, The Infiltrators) has joined forces with actor Eric Michael Cole (DC’s Birds of Prey, The Laundromat) and writer/producer Sean Crouch (Lore, The Exorcist) to create the comedic super villain short film, Glory and Injustice.
The project, directed by Jamieson Tabb (Girl Trip), is slated to begin filming in late August and hopes to premiere at the 2020 Slamdance Festival. Details of the plot are under wraps but we know that the story will center around 13-year-old Glory (Zoe), the daughter to down-and-out super villain Dad, Lord Injustice (Cole).
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Bella Zoe is one of Hollywood’s first young actresses with autism. She felt it is important to be a part of every step of the production process.
“I got really upset that you never see any girls with autism represented in any TV, Movies or on the Internet. It’s like we don’t even exists. I talked to my mom about it and she told me what she always tells me, Stop complaining and waiting for someone else — do it yourself. So I called my amazing god mother, Max and here we are.“
— Bella Zoe Martinez
Bella wanted to do more than show up and deliver her lines. “I want to see and do everything.” zoe told us. “It’s so important to me to show other kids with autism that they could do this too. Sometimes the only thing holding you back from trying something new is you. So, if I can do this, you can too.”
Rounding out the super villain team are producers, Andy and Melissa Areffi (yes, mom and dad), along with EP Max Wong (Air Force One, Bring It On) overseeing all of Bella’s evil plans.
Bella is an active part of the production team, participating in development, design, and concept meetings, learning every step of the process and what everyone’s jobs really entail.
It wasn’t enough to be a part of the team by herself, though. Bella drafted her siblings, Kennedy and Alex, who are also on the autism spectrum, to design the title credits and do the VFX for the film.
“In Hollywood, when you’re successful at what you do, you’re considered ‘eccentric,’ not weird.”
— Melissa Martinez-Areffi
“The explosion of kids diagnosed on the autism spectrum are about to enter the workforce,” explained Melissa Martinez-Areffi, producer and mother of the trio. She went to to say that Hollywood is one of the leading industries that can adjust to a non-typical workforce and pay on average a middle class wage. Martinez-Areffi added that, “In Hollywood, when you’re successful at what you do, you’re considered “eccentric,” not weird.” So our kids are forging a new path for a different way of problem solving and invention. They aren’t just thinking outside the box – they’ve thrown it out completely and the results are incredible.”
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Check out the films facebook page and Instagram @gloryandinjustice. Watch for updates on Bella’s Instagram @realbellazoe and her costar @ericmichaelcole. They will post pics and videos from the rehearsals.