Beth Harrington
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Beth Harrington (born July 2, 1955 in
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
,
Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
) is an
Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award catego ...
-winning,
Grammy The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...
-nominated filmmaker based in
Vancouver, Washington Vancouver ( ) is a city on the north bank of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington, located in Clark County, Washington, Clark County. Founded in 1825 and incorporated in 1857, Vancouver had a population of 190, ...
, specializing in documentary features. Her documentaries often explore American history, music and culture, including the
Carter Family The Carter Family was an American folk music group that recorded and performed between 1927 and 1956. Regarded as one of the most important music acts of the early 20th century, they had a profound influence on the development of bluegrass, c ...
and
Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter. Most of his music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from the later stages of his career. ...
, and the history of women in
rockabilly Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the Southern United States, South. As a genre, it blends the sound of Western music (North America), Western musi ...
. In addition to her film work as a producer, director and writer, Harrington is also a singer and guitarist, and was a member of Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers from 1980 to 1983.


Personal life

The daughter of an art teacher and an artist/advertising executive of Irish and Italian heritage, Harrington was born and grew up in greater Boston. She attended Catholic elementary and high school in suburban Boston, a subject she revisited in her film ''The Blinking Madonna and Other Miracles''. She holds a bachelor's degree in Public Communications from
Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York, United States. It was established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church but has been nonsectarian since 1920 ...
and a master's degree in American Studies from the
University of Massachusetts The University of Massachusetts is the Public university, public university system of the Massachusetts, Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The university system includes six campuses (Amherst, Boston, Dartmouth, University of Massachusetts Lowell ...
. Harrington's husband, Andy Lockhart, is a
volcanologist A volcanologist, or volcano scientist, is a geologist who focuses on understanding the formation and eruptive activity of volcanoes. Volcanologists frequently visit volcanoes, sometimes active ones, to observe and monitor volcanic eruptions, col ...
for the U.S Geological Survey who she met while filming the ''
Nova A nova ( novae or novas) is a transient astronomical event that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star (hence the name "nova", Latin for "new") that slowly fades over weeks or months. All observed novae involve white ...
'' program ''In the Path of A Killer Volcano''.


Career


Music

After volunteering at the pioneering progressive-rock radio station WBCN, she became involved in the Boston music scene as a member of such bands as the Awful Truth and Barry Marshall and the Rockin' Robins. She also did recording work with Willie "Loco" Alexander,
Lenny Kaye Lenny Kaye (''né'' Kusikoff; born December 27, 1946) is an American guitarist, composer, and writer, notable for his work with the Patti Smith Group, his contributions to music magazines, and his garage rock retrospective anthology '' Nuggets' ...
,
Andy Paley Andrew Douglas Paley (November 1, 1951 – November 20, 2024) was an American songwriter, record producer, composer, and multi-instrumentalist who formed the Paley Brothers, a 1970s power pop duo, with his brother Jonathan Paley. Following thei ...
and Erik Lindgren, and sang on the soundtrack of the 1989 film ''
Shag Shag or Shags may refer to: Animals * Shag or cormorant, a bird family ** European shag, a specific species of the shag or cormorant family ** Great cormorant another species of the family Persons * Shag (artist), stage name of the American a ...
''. She joined Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers in 1980, touring extensively with that group and singing on its 1983 album '' Jonathan Sings!'' She also played with Northwest-based band Spiricles from 2011 to 2017.


Film

Harrington's documentaries have been released theatrically, on streaming and on-demand platforms, and broadcast on public television, both as free-standing features and as episodes of such series as ''Nova'' and '' Frontline''. They have been shown at such film festivals as
SXSW South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has conti ...
, the
Mill Valley Film Festival The Mill Valley Film Festival (MVFF) is an annual film festival organized by the California Film Institute. It takes place each October in Mill Valley, California, and welcomes more than 200 filmmakers, representing more than 50 countries, each ...
, the
Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival The Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival is a documentary film festival held annually in Hot Springs, Arkansas. The festival began in 1991, with a screening of ten Academy Award-nominated documentaries. Overview The festival screens 100 docum ...
, the
Cleveland International Film Festival The Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF) is an annual film festival based in Cleveland, Ohio. CIFF is the largest film festival in Ohio and among the longest-running in the United States. The festival is held at Playhouse Square, the lar ...
and the
Nashville Film Festival The Nashville Film Festival (NashFilm), held annually in Nashville, Tennessee, is the oldest running film festival in the South and one of the oldest in the United States. In 2016, Nashville Film Festival received more than 6,700 submissions from ...
. In 1991, Harrington began a long association with Boston's flagship
PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...
station WGBH, where she worked as associate producer and line producer on various nationally broadcast documentaries, including episodes of ''Nova'', ''Frontline'' and ''The AIDS Quarterly'' (later called ''Health Quarterly''). She was a line producer for the
Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Foster Peabody, George Peabody, honor what are described as the most powerful, enlightening, and in ...
-winning show ''Dating in the Age of AIDS'', an episode of ''Health Quarterly'', and associate producer for two national Emmy-nominated productions, ''In the Path of A Killer Volcano'', a ''Nova'' episode, and the PBS special ''Apollo 13: To the Edge and Back''. After relocating to the Pacific Northwest in October 1996, Harrington became a frequent contributor to
Oregon Public Broadcasting Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) is the primary public broadcasting, public media organization for the U.S. state of Oregon as well as southern Washington (state), Washington. It provides news, information, and programming via television stati ...
, working as a freelance filmmaker as well as doing development work on other projects for that station. Harrington's work for OPB includes producing episodes of the PBS series ''
History Detectives ''History Detectives'' was a documentary television series on PBS. It featured investigations made by members of a small team of researchers to identify and/or authenticate items which may have historical significance or connections to important h ...
'' and several specials, including ''Digital Television: A Cringely Crash Course'', one of PBS's first High Definition productions. She has also been a producer/director and/or writer on several distance-learning programs for Annenberg Learning, including the photography series ''Essential Lens'' and the history series ''Bridging World History''. Harrington also won acclaim for her 1996 feature ''The Blinking Madonna and Other Miracles'', a "creative nonfiction" film telling the story of a miracle Harrington may have witnessed through a combination of documentary footage and scripted scenes performed by actors and real-life participants. It aired on national public television and screened at numerous film festivals. Harrington's 2001 independent production ''Welcome to the Club: The Women of Rockabilly'', a documentary about the pioneering women of early rock 'n' roll, was broadcast nationally on public television stations, and was nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best Long Form Video. In 2008, Harrington produced, directed and wrote ''Searching for York'', which told the little-known history of an enslaved man who served as a valued member of the
Lewis and Clark Expedition The Lewis and Clark Expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery Expedition, was the United States expedition to cross the newly acquired western portion of the country after the Louisiana Purchase. The Corps of Discovery was a select gro ...
. Her 2009 production ''Kam Wah Chung'' told the tale of two Chinese men living in Eastern Oregon during the
Gold Rush A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, ...
. These programs each received two Northwest Emmy nominations, in the categories of Best Historical/Cultural Program and Best Writing. Two other programs produced, directed and written by Harrington—''ZigZag: Real Stories, New Angles'', an innovative 2004 environmental public affairs show and ''Beervana'', a 2007 look at Oregon's beer culture and history, also received Northwest Emmy nominations, for Best Public Affairs Special and Best Historical/Cultural Program, respectively. Harrington's documentary ''The Winding Stream: The Carters, the Cashes and the Course of Country Music'' tells the story of
country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...
's influential
Carter family The Carter Family was an American folk music group that recorded and performed between 1927 and 1956. Regarded as one of the most important music acts of the early 20th century, they had a profound influence on the development of bluegrass, c ...
, and includes one of
Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter. Most of his music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from the later stages of his career. ...
's last interviews. ''The Winding Stream'' premiered at 2014's
SXSW Film Festival South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has continued growing in both s ...
, and went on to appear at over 30 other festivals. It was released in theaters across North America, and later had its digital and DVD launch on Netflix, Amazon, iTunes, Vudu and other platforms, and was well-reviewed in a number of national publications, including ''
Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'', ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'', and ''
The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
''. Harrington was also co-producer of ''The Winding Streams soundtrack album, released by
Omnivore Recordings Omnivore Recordings is an independent record label founded in 2010. It specializes in historical releases, reissues and previously unissued vintage recordings, as well as select releases of new music, on CD, vinyl and digital formats. Omnivore R ...
. In 2021, the ''New York Daily News'' named ''The Winding Stream'' No. 56 on a list of the 100 best documentaries of all time. In 2019, Harrington's film ''Fort Vancouver'', the story of the
Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), originally the Governor and Company of Adventurers of England Trading Into Hudson’s Bay, is a Canadian holding company of department stores, and the oldest corporation in North America. It was the owner of the ...
in the Pacific Northwest, won a Northwest Regional Emmy as Best Historical/Cultural Program. Her 2020 film ''Once Upon a Time in the Northwest: The Music of Federale'' also won a Northwest Emmy. Harrington is currently developing several new projects, including developing her music-based scripted short ''The Musicianer'', starring actress
Grey DeLisle Grey DeLisle (; born Erin Grey Van Oosbree; August 24, 1973), sometimes credited as Grey Griffin, is an American voice actress and singer-songwriter. DeLisle is known for various roles in animated productions and video games. On September 27, ...
and Canadian musician Petunia, into a feature film. Another project, ''Beyond the
Duplex Planet ''The Duplex Planet'' is a zine edited and published by David Greenberger since 1979. It contains transcriptions of his interviews with elderly residents of senior centers and "meal sites" in the Massachusetts area. For many years, the zine foc ...
'', is a feature-length documentary about artist David Greenberger and his work turning interviews with senior citizens into art. A third, ''Foremothers'', features present-day portraits of trailblazing women of rock 'n' roll. Yet another, ''Our Mr. Matsura'', is a historical non-fiction film about a Japanese photographer's unconventional work documenting the people of
Washington state Washington, officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is often referred to as Washington State to distinguish it from the national capital, both named after George Washington ...
in the early 1900s. The project received development funding in April 2021 from the
National Endowment for the Humanities The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is an independent federal agency of the U.S. government, established by thNational Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965(), dedicated to supporting research, education, preserv ...
.


Other work

Harrington is active in various film and arts organizations, having served on the board of the Hollywood Theatre in
Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...
, as well as the Oregon Media Production Association. She is currently a commissioner on the Vancouver, Washington, Culture, Arts and Heritage Commission. Harrington is also a past president of Women in Film/New England and a former vice president of Women in Film/Seattle. She is a voting member of the
National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc. (NARAS), doing business as The Recording Academy, is an American Learned society, learned academy of musicians, producers, recording engineers, and other musical professionals. It is widely kno ...
. She has been a media instructor at
Washington State University Washington State University (WSU, or colloquially Wazzu) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Pullman, Washington, United States. Founded in 1890, WSU is also one of the oldest Land-grant uni ...
,
Lewis & Clark College Lewis & Clark College is a private liberal arts college in Portland, Oregon. It was founded in 1867 and is situated on the historic M. Lloyd Frank Estate in South Portland's Collins View neighborhood. It is composed of three distinct but adjac ...
,
Bunker Hill Community College Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC) is a public community college with multiple campuses in the Greater Boston area. Founded in 1973 in the Charlestown neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, BHCC provides higher education and j ...
, New England School of Photography, Boston Film/Video Foundation, the
Northwest Film Center PAM CUT–Center for an Untold Tomorrow, formerly the ''Northwest Film Center'' is a regional media arts resource and service organization based in Portland, Oregon, United States that was founded to encourage the study, appreciation, and utilizat ...
and the Olympia Film Society, as well as an artist-in-residence at the Vancouver School of Arts and Academics.


Awards and nominations

Harrington's films have won and been nominated for multiple awards; a complete list can be found in the filmography section below. In addition to her individual films, Harrington has also been honored with the following awards for her overall career: *I Migliori Award, Pirandello Lyceum, Dante Aligheri Society, Boston, 1986 *Artist Trust/Washington State Arts Commission Fellowship, 2001 *Artist Fellow, Playa Art and Science Residency Program, 2018 *Clark County Arts Commission Lifetime Achievement Award, 2019


Filmography


References


External links


Beth Harrington official site
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Harrington, Beth 1955 births Film producers from Massachusetts Film directors from Massachusetts Syracuse University alumni University of Massachusetts Boston alumni American rock guitarists American rock singers Singers from Massachusetts The Modern Lovers members Artists from Boston Musicians from Boston People from Vancouver, Washington Living people