Monteverde wrote and directed
Bella, a film that took top prize at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival by winning the "People's Choice Award". Monteverde and the filmmakers received honors for
Bella from the Smithsonian and the White House. The Smithsonian Latino Center also honored Monteverde with their "Legacy Award". After US President
George W. Bush and First Lady
Laura Bush saw the film, Monteverde was invited to sit with the First Lady in her private box during the annual
State of the Union speech in 2007. Monteverde directed and co-wrote
Little Boy, a film set during World War II, released in 2015. Monteverde directed and co-wrote
Sound of Freedom, starring
Jim Caviezel,
Mira Sorvino and
Bill Camp. It was shot in 2018 and was set to be released by 2020, but because of
the acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney and the film's subsequent shelving, it was not released until Angel Studios acquired it. He also directed the 2024 film
Cabrini, which is based on the life of
Frances Xavier Cabrini. Like
Sound of Freedom, the film is also distributed by
Angel Studios. In 2022, Monteverde was given a Humanitarian Award by the
Coronado Island Film Festival. ==Personal life==