AWIAFF Screening: Sat. Apr. 28, 2:10pm
A SEX TYPE THING
BEAUTY BITES BEAST – FEATURE DOC
Synopsis: Often humorous always dynamic documentary which flips ideas of women’s self-defense upside-down. Dolores Huerta; Gavin de Becker; Riane Eisler; Ellen Snortland; Dr. Bessel Van der Kolk; Ellen Snortland, Director. Adult themes. USA
Interview by Kaylene Peoples | Responses by Ellen Snortland
Ellen, you have quite a dossier! Your skills range from producing to being a women’s rights activist. This question alone could be your entire interview. Tell me about yourself and what led you to becoming a filmmaker?
I got my degree in film and theater from UC Irvine; I consider my artistic “mother ship” to be theater. However, I did get the opportunity to make a short film at UCI, and I got the bug with that. I acted and directed in theater. Then through a series of quirks, I went from on-camera TV work to directing for “The New Candid Camera” and “Totally Hidden Video,” a Fox hidden camera show. It was a combination of live theater and screen directing so right up my alley.
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What led you to make this documentary?
A man who owned a factory in Tijuana read my book, Beauty Bites Beast, (also the name of my movie) and contacted me. He said he couldn’t believe how clueless he had been about how difficult and terrifying it could be to be a woman. When he read my book he could understand why I had a mission to teach women how to defend themselves emotionally, verbally and pardon the expression, if push comes to shove, how to kick someone’s ass. He asked me to come to his factory to train the women and I said I’d do it if I could film it. That’s how this documentary started. I however did not want to have it center around a factory in Tijuana since it would effectively make it a “Mexican” story when in fact violence against women is a global story.
Because you are such a renaissance women, have you ever run into difficulty with people understanding that you can actually do many things well? Has it ever affected you negatively, if so, how did you overcome it?
I basically ignore nay-sayers or point out Renaissance men and people don’t seem to have difficulty understanding multi-faceted or complicated men.
Who or what inspires you? My husband inspires me.
Gloria Steinem inspires me. Dolores Huerta inspires me. Single working moms inspire me. Eleanor Roosevelt inspires me. Anyone who says, “Screw you and your ideas of what I “should” be and does what they are called to do inspire me. I’m kind of “inspired” waiting to happen.
What are some of the highlights of Beauty Bites Beast?
The chance to be in Israel and be hosted by our executive director was a mountain top experience. Meeting and bonding with people there was a dream come true. The opportunity to travel to Pakistan, and hearing a revered Muslim scholar stand up and say after she saw it that it was the most intellectual and creative piece of filmmaking she’d ever seen. The whole thing has been a huge challenge and beautiful. I love to see women on their journey to waking up the warrior inside them. I loved seeing the women in Mexico move from being afraid of the world to taking their rightful place in the world. I also loved the scoring session which was a downright love session. My husband is a music supervisor and he pulled together a fantastic group of musicians, he guided the relatively new composers. I listen to the score and am moved to tears remembering what it took. Also, the song at the end was a miracle that he pulled out of nowhere at the last minute from an unknown song-writer.
Were there any challenges while working on your documentary?
The whole thing was a challenge. Given that the theme of women’s empowerment is “taboo” by green-lighters and money people in Hollywood, I had to raise the money sometimes at a time.
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Imagine that Hollywood is a big infection, and my movie is an antibiotic; do you really think that the infection would be eager for my work? I think not. Finally, at the very end, our philanthropist ED stepped forward and gave me a contribution large enough to finish the movie. I had 3 brats I had to work with who were chronically late, frequent liars, temper-tantrum cases and passive aggressive. (Otherwise they were great!) I didn’t have the kind of money to fire these and replace them and basically had to limp along with people whose behaviors astonished me.
Do you use social media to promote your films?
Yes, and not very well. I am facile with Facebook and am clueless about Instagram and Snapchat.
What advice would you give a first-time filmmaker?
Just do it. Really. Don’t wait for anyone to tell you you can. OK, I say you can. So keep this interview, and say, “Ellen said I could, so there!” Especially women and POC. Do it! Don’t stop. We need you.
Visit Artemis Women In Action Film Festival for Screening Information. The film festival runs through April 26-29, 2018! Purchase tickets for Beauty Bites Beast.
