Esther Bell
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Esther Bell is an American film producer, director, screenwriter, social activist, and community entrepreneur. Her two feature films, ''Godass'' and ''Exist'', received critical acclaim in ''The New York Times'' and ''Variety'' for their tones of social and political relevance.


Early life and influences

Esther Bell was born in Boston, Massachusetts to Teri Bell and father-at-birth Randall Bell, who died at age 49. Bell learned of her biological father, gay artist, at age 17. Esther Bell's mother is a technical artist who has worked in architectural interior design and urban planning in Columbia, Charleston, and Beaufort, South Carolina, and Savannah, Georgia. She was graphic designer for a recent book on the famous
Oglethorpe Plan The Oglethorpe Plan is an urban planning idea that was most notably used in Savannah, Georgia, one of the Thirteen Colonies, in the 18th century. The plan uses a distinctive street network with repeating squares of residential blocks, commercia ...
of Savannah. While attending high schools in Charleston, Bell created a political, music periodical magazine. Originally a photocopied publication she started at the age of 14, later the newspaper reached a regional distribution of around 7,000 in southern towns with colleges and alternative art scenes. Her friends in Lay Quiet Awhile (
Danielle Howle Danielle Howle (born in Columbia, South Carolina) is an American singer-songwriter and music producer. Biography After releasing an early song on a Columbia, South Carolina music sampler in the late 1980s, Howle joined the Columbia-based band ...
), Glam Dogs (Ray Jicha), and Hootie and the Blowfish helped raise funds to print the magazine. While she was putting out the zine, Bell shot a documentary with equipment from The South Carolina Arts Commission about living in small southern town, with raunchy details describing the thriving music scene. The piece was called ''Mark of An Amateur''. and later received an award on the TV channel, TLC. Esther interviewed famous bands like The Replacements,
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Social Distortion Social Distortion is an American punk rock band formed in 1978 in Fullerton, California. It consists of Mike Ness (vocals, guitar), Jonny Wickersham (guitar), Brent Harding (bass), David Hidalgo Jr. (drums), and David Kalish (keyboards). Emerg ...
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, and
Das Damen Das Damen was an alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1984. The band released several albums before splitting up in 1991. The band's name is fake German and roughly translates to "the ladies" (the correct German form would be ''Die ...
. Bell has joked, "As a girl, the conventional gig was to be a groupie, but I avoided all that crap by interviewing the bands and putting them in my magazine." Beyond documenting the southern music scene, Bell was politically active. In Charleston, Esther and her punk, gay, and multi-race friends were the target of police brutality and social injustice, awaking her to the abuse of power and strength of hatred and bigotry. The experience drove her to move to New York in search of greater creative and intellectual freedom. In New York, Bell worked a wide range of jobs to pay her college and living expenses. She was an assistant to the artist
Bryan Hunt Bryan Hunt is an American sculptor who was born in Terre Haute, Indiana on June 7, 1947. His family moved to Tampa, Florida in 1955. He worked at the Kennedy Space Center as an engineer's aide and draftsman, 1967–1968, during the NASA Apollo pro ...
where she encountered a range of influences including
Bernadette Peters Bernadette Peters ( ''née'' Lazzara; born February 28, 1948) is an American actress and singer. Over a career spanning more than six decades, she has starred in musical theatre, television and film, performed in solo concerts and released reco ...
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, and Tatum O’Neal. For a short time she chauffeured for
Man Ray Man Ray (born Emmanuel Radnitzky; August 27, 1890 – November 18, 1976) was an American naturalized French visual artist who spent most of his career in Paris. He was a significant contributor to the Dada and Surrealism, Surrealist movements, ...
’s agent. Bell also worked at the notorious Limelight, did catering for commercials and later worked in production in almost every position. Eventually, she graduated magna cum laude from the
City College of New York The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a Public university, public research university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York ...
, with a degree in Ancient History and a minor in Film.


Film and television career

Bell's first documentary, ''Mark of an Amateur'', won an award from TLC (The Learning 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. Bell's first feature film, ''Godass'' (2000), starred artist-actor Nika Feldman,
Julianne Nicholson Julianne Nicholson (born July 1, 1971) is an American actress. She is known for her roles in the film '' August: Osage County'' (2013) and the television series '' Law & Order: Criminal Intent'' (2006–2009), '' Masters of Sex'' (2013–2014), ...
, with George Tynan Crowley as the punk protagonist's gay father,
Fred Schneider Frederick William Schneider III (born July 1, 1951) is an American singer-songwriter and frontman of the rock band the B-52s, of which he is a founding member. Schneider is well known for his '' sprechgesang'', which he developed from reciting ...
of
the B-52's The B-52s, originally presented as the B-52's (with an errant apostrophe; used until 2008), are an American band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1976. The original lineup consisted of Fred Schneider (vocals, percussion), Kate Pierson (vocals, k ...
as his lover, and
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. The film was sold and screened on Showtime and Sundance Channel. The film received favorable reviews and won numerous festival awards and tells the story of a young punk girl with a gay father. ''Exist'' (2004) was written and performed by Ben Bartlett and Nick Mevoli, with a notable appearance by
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lead singer
Tunde Adebimpe Babatunde Omoroga Adebimpe (; born February 25, 1975) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and actor. He is best known as a founding member and co-lead vocalist of the Brooklyn-based band TV on the Radio, with whom he has recorded five st ...
, and with George Tynan Crowley appearing as the protagonist's father. It received critical acclaim, as cited earlier, in the ''New York Times'' and ''Variety'' 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. Nick Mevoli's life was cut short when he was attempting to set an American record at the Vertical Blue freediving competition in the Bahamas after receiving world recognition in earlier competitions. Writer Adam Skolnick is writing a book about Mevoli's life which will include the multiple scripts, movies, and details of Nick and Esther's friendship. Bell's picture is featured on the cover of Andrea Richard's book ''Girl Director: A How-To Guide for the First-Time, Flat-Broke Film Maker'' and she is the subject of the first chapter of Robert Anasi's book ''The Last Bohemia: Scenes from the Life of Williamsburg, Brooklyn''. In addition to her feature films, Bell has directed for IFC, ABC, Much Music, Court TV, Current TV, Sundance Channel and MTV. Some of the Biography pieces she is most proud of directing were with
Tunde Adebimpe Babatunde Omoroga Adebimpe (; born February 25, 1975) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and actor. He is best known as a founding member and co-lead vocalist of the Brooklyn-based band TV on the Radio, with whom he has recorded five st ...
, Kyp Malone, and all the members of "TV on the RADIO" Bell has done video interviews with
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,
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;
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; and shot interviews with
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,
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,
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, and
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.


Filmography

Feature Films * 2001, ''Godass'', director, writer, producer * 2004, ''Exist'', director, writer, producer Short Films * 1992, ''Mark of an Amateur'', director, writer, producer * 1994, ''Purple Jesus'', director, writer, producer * ''Dora the Explorer'' (TV, 2 episodes), editor * ''One Ring Zero: Addendum’' * 2008 (release), ''Cornered: A Life Caught in the Ring'', producer


Activism and entrepreneurship

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 Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...
for its subsequent initiation of a national campaign against heroin addiction during the mid-nineties. Presently, she is working with the Andi Foundation (http://www.theandifoundation.org/) and
Rachel Maddow Rachel Anne Maddow ( ; born April 1, 1973) is an American television news program host and liberal political commentator. She hosts '' The Rachel Maddow Show'', a weekly television show on MSNBC, and serves as the cable network's special event ...
on a portrait of the women who were successfully mentored by the not-for-profit created to develop female leaders to work around the world for peace. In 2010, Bell opened The West, a coffeehouse and bar, in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Williamsburg, where she has resided for twenty years. The West is named in honor of Brooklyn born
Mae West Mary Jane "Mae" West (August 17, 1893 – November 22, 1980) was an American actress, singer, comedian, screenwriter, and playwright whose career spanned more than seven decades. Recognized as a prominent sex symbol of her time, she was known ...
. Opened in Sept, 2010, The West soon became a gathering spot for the neighborhood's locals, including a vibrant and diverse creative community. Rising disposable income in Williamsburg's large hipster community has recently attracted corporate attention. As
Starbucks Starbucks Corporation is an American multinational List of coffeehouse chains, chain of coffeehouses and Starbucks Reserve, roastery reserves headquartered in Seattle, Washington. It was founded in 1971 by Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl, and Gor ...
and other chains announced plans to open shops in Williamsburg, a debate over
gentrification Gentrification is the process whereby the character of a neighborhood changes through the influx of more Wealth, affluent residents (the "gentry") and investment. There is no agreed-upon definition of gentrification. In public discourse, it has ...
arose, attracting the interest of national media. Articles in local and national media have portrayed Bell and her café, The West, as representative of Williamsburg's unique and edgy character, in sharp contrast to the standardized business models now appearing in the community.


References


Bibliography

* Booth, Tod; (2005-03-02). "Exist," ''San Francisco Indie Fest.''
Indie Fest '05
. Retrieved on (2007-06-18). * Dean, Michael W. (2003). '' $30 Film School''. Premier Press, pp. 463–465. . * Harvey, Dennis; (2005-02-23). "Exist," ''Variety.''
Variety review
. Retrieved on (2007-06-18). * Harvey, Dennis; (2000-07-17). "Godass", ''Variety.''

. Retrieved on (2007-06-18). * Lee, Nathan; (2005-12-1). "Two Young Radicals and Their Dovetailing Destinies," ''The New York Times.''

Retrieved on (2007-06-18). * Richards, Andrea. (2001). ''Girl Director: A How-To Guide for the First-Time, Flat-Broke Film and Video Maker''. Ten Speed Press, pp. 114. .
Summer 2002


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Esther American women film directors Film directors from Massachusetts Film directors from South Carolina Living people Writers from Boston Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century American women