My name is Bella Bontrager. I graduated from SOU with a BFA in Digital Cinema Production Arts with a concentration in Screenwriting and Story Development, and a minor in Philosophy.

Since I was a kid I knew I loved to write. My teachers, friends, and family have always told me I was good at it, but even then I never allowed myself to dream as big as becoming a professional writer. I have also always been so in love with cinema. I’d always been a very quiet and shy kid, and movies gave me something to love, something to share with other people, and most importantly something to talk about when I struggled talking about anything else. The biggest thing I got from watching movies was an undeniable inspiration to write. Music and movies have made it so that I couldn’t avoid my dream of becoming a writer.

My very first memory regarding this dream is one of my fondest. When I was 6 years old I stayed with my grandparents every other weekend, and every other weekend I would sit at their desk and I would handwrite three copies of a script for a play that my Grandparents would rehearse for hours with me as their director. I would then invite my entire family over to watch the play that I would then write and direct. I still remember that feeling when my entire family would smile or laugh watching something that I created. Remembering this, I can’t believe I went so long without that dream. Rediscovering it has given me the feeling that I’m in the right place at the right time, that I’m on the right path.

Coming into college, I originally thought I would pursue a degree in English. I wanted to go for Creative Writing, but figured it would be difficult to make a lasting career with it. I thought about Digital Cinema, but for the longest time wouldn’t even let myself consider it. I thought it would be way too far outside of my comfort zone. Right before my first class at SOU I made the bold decision to call my advisor and switch to Digital Cinema. I was right about it being outside my comfort zone, and it was the best decision I’d ever made.

Now this dream is so much bigger than I let myself even consider, and I feel so lucky. One day I will move to Los Angeles to pursue my dream of becoming a screenwriter. The formation of this dream has turned me into a new person, a person more ambitious, more hopeful, and more creative than I'd ever thought I could be.

Portfolio

What i've done so far

Feature length screenplays

2023

Step Nine is the story of Meg, a single mom who has recently become estranged from her former fiancé, the father of her child, to addiction. After a fate encounter Meg has to decide whether or not to bring him back into their lives, while also trying to follow a dream of her own. At it's core, Step Nine is a love story told in reverse about the struggle of addiction, and even more about the struggle of loving an addict.

2024

Harbor Freeway is the story of Maeve, a jaded insomniac who's lost her mother, her childhood, and the dreams that came with them. When Maeve is abandoned by the person she finally recreates that dream with, she is left to find her own way out, crossing paths with another insomniac along the way, heading towards the same sleepless highway.

short scripts

Her Favorite Color Was Red (2023)

Dead End (2023)

Don’t Shoot Me, It’s Christmas (2023)

short films

Slow Children (2024)

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