Esther Bell
Encyclopedia
Esther Bell is an American film director. Her two feature films, Godass and Exist, have received critical acclaim in The New York Times and Variety for their tones of social and political relevance.http://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/movie.html?v_id=321259
Godass (2000), starring Julianne Nicholson
, Fred Schneider
of the B-52's
, and Tina Holmes
, won numerous festival awards and tells the story of a young punk girl with a gay father. The film's non-pedantic perspective addressed gay parenting and how it can affect the people involved.
Exist http://www.filmmakermagazine.com/summer2002/columns/in_focus.php (2004) was written and performed by Ben Bartlett and Nic Mevoli, with a notable appearance by TV on the Radio
lead singer Tunde Adebimpe
. It received critical acclaim due to its incisive look into young activists' lives. Particularly relevant to a post-9/11 generation of activists, the film has been screened in festivals around the world, including the International Rotterdam Film Festival. In July 2007, Exist was acquired by "dangerous films" distributor HALO 8 Entertainment
. Halo-8 has the film slated for an October 30, 2007 DVD release.
In addition to her feature films, Bell regularly directs for television http://www.current.tv/watch/14866877?list=newVidsByProducer&filterone=14577547&filtertwo=-1&sid=14866877&fr=0 and has been featured in Andrea Richard's book Girl Director.
, Massachusetts, and grew up in South Carolina
. She began her career as the creator and editor of an underground political magazine, which was distributed throughout the South.
Bell's first documentary, Mark of an Amateur won an award from TLC (The Leaning Channel). Before embarking upon her feature film career after college, Bell shot several successful short films, including PURPLE JESUS, which screened as part of the Nuyorican's Fifth Night Series and the Women in the Director's Chair International Festival. Currently, Bell is in development on her third feature, "Flaming Heterosexual Female," based upon her original screenplay.
for its subsequent initiation of a national campaign against heroin addiction during the mid-nineties.
Godass (2000), starring Julianne Nicholson
Julianne Nicholson
Julianne Nicholson is an American actress. She is known for having played Det. Megan Wheeler on Law & Order: Criminal Intent.-Early life:...
, Fred Schneider
Fred Schneider
Frederick William "Fred" Schneider III is an American rock singer, best known as the frontman of the rock band The B-52's, of which he is a founding member. Schneider is well-known for his sprechgesang which he developed from reciting poetry over guitars.-Early life:Schneider was born in Newark,...
of the B-52's
The B-52's
The B-52's are an American rock band, formed in Athens, Georgia in 1976. The original line-up consisted of Fred Schneider , Kate Pierson , Cindy Wilson , Ricky Wilson , and Keith Strickland . Following Ricky Wilson's death in 1985 Strickland switched to guitar...
, and Tina Holmes
Tina Holmes
Tina Holmes is an American television and film actress.- Early years and education :Holmes grew up in New York City and Connecticut. An Ivy Leaguer, she attended Yale University for two years followed by a move to Paris, France studying French Literature at the Sorbonne...
, won numerous festival awards and tells the story of a young punk girl with a gay father. The film's non-pedantic perspective addressed gay parenting and how it can affect the people involved.
Exist http://www.filmmakermagazine.com/summer2002/columns/in_focus.php (2004) was written and performed by Ben Bartlett and Nic Mevoli, with a notable appearance by TV on the Radio
TV on the Radio
TV on the Radio is an American art rock band formed in 2001 in Brooklyn, New York, whose music spans numerous diverse genres, from post-punk to electro and free jazz to soul music....
lead singer Tunde Adebimpe
Tunde Adebimpe
Babatunde Omoroga "Tunde" Adebimpe is an American musician, actor, and director best known as the lead singer of the Brooklyn-based band TV on the Radio. His vocal method often involves improvisation, the use of effects and repeating sampled loops....
. It received critical acclaim due to its incisive look into young activists' lives. Particularly relevant to a post-9/11 generation of activists, the film has been screened in festivals around the world, including the International Rotterdam Film Festival. In July 2007, Exist was acquired by "dangerous films" distributor HALO 8 Entertainment
HALO 8 Entertainment
HALO-8 Entertainment is a transmedia entertainment company specializing in cinema, genre graphic novels, midnight movies, music-driven lifestyle videos, and animation...
. Halo-8 has the film slated for an October 30, 2007 DVD release.
In addition to her feature films, Bell regularly directs for television http://www.current.tv/watch/14866877?list=newVidsByProducer&filterone=14577547&filtertwo=-1&sid=14866877&fr=0 and has been featured in Andrea Richard's book Girl Director.
Biography
Bell was born in BostonBoston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts, and grew up in South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
. She began her career as the creator and editor of an underground political magazine, which was distributed throughout the South.
Bell's first documentary, Mark of an Amateur won an award from TLC (The Leaning Channel). Before embarking upon her feature film career after college, Bell shot several successful short films, including PURPLE JESUS, which screened as part of the Nuyorican's Fifth Night Series and the Women in the Director's Chair International Festival. Currently, Bell is in development on her third feature, "Flaming Heterosexual Female," based upon her original screenplay.
Activism
While attending college in New York, Esther lost close friends to both heroin and AIDS. Her experiences led her behind the lens where she would create two public service announcements: Ashley, about heroin addiction, and Sexually Explicit Material, addressing HIV prevention. Ashley received an honorary award from President Bill ClintonBill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
for its subsequent initiation of a national campaign against heroin addiction during the mid-nineties.