Celebrating Diversity and Inclusion with film.
Beth holds an M.A. in Comparative Literature & Religious Studies from the University of Alberta (2001), where she served as a Lecturer in Religious Studies for more than 10 years. Introduced to the art and craft of documentary filmmaking in 2006, she has since used the camera to continue her cultural-religious studies of communities in Canada.
Beth spent the formative years of her life in India and this had a lasting impact on her worldview. Beth’s film work reflects her keen interest in “Diversity and Inclusion”. Through it she has sought to communicate the richness and complexity of cultural-religious life in Canada and to examine the challenges multicultural coexistence presents. Her prior experience in the discipline of Comparative Religious Studies allows her to bring an informed and sensitive perspective to her film work and to effectively interpret the symbolic codes and spiritual sensibility of the individuals and communities she engages with. As a socially engaged documentary filmmaker, Beth seeks to use the creative medium of film to build community in Canada.
Beth has completed four long form documentary films: Unforgotten (Original 2009/Redux 2015), Gently Whispering the Circle Back (2013), Brothers in the Buddha (2014), and Lana Gets Her Talk (2017); as well as one documentary short, From a Light Within (2019). Beth recently completed her first dramatic short film, The Final Exam (2020), which she co-wrote, directed and produced with filmmaker, Ibrahim Cin.
Beth is happy to have presented her work at a number of film festivals, including FAVA FEST (Edmonton, AB, Canada), the Nordlys Film and Arts Festival (Camrose, AB, Canada), the Female Eye Film Festival (Toronto, ON, Canada), the American Indian Film Festival (San Fransico, CA, USA), the United Nations Association Film Festival (Stanford, CA, USA), Native Spirit Film Festival (London, England), the Weihnachtsfilmfestival (Berlin, Germany), and most recently the 2021 Sacrae Scenae Film Festival (Ardesio, Italy) where her film Brothers in the Buddha won the Campanile d’Oro/Golden Bell Tower Award. She is also happy to have presented her films at the Canadian Truth and Reconcilation gathering in Edmonton (2014), the Canadian Humanities & Social Sciences CONGRESS (2018), and at the Parliament of the World’s Religions gatherings in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA (2015), Toronto, ON, Canada (2018), and Internationally Online (2021) .
In collaboration with Indigenous artist, Lana Whiskeyjack, Beth participated in the 2017-2019 Pan-Canadian touring Art & Film Installation, pîkiskwe-speak: An Invitation to Conversations in Reconciliation. The Installation featured Lana’s mixed-media sculpture, Lost My talk, and Beth’s documentary study of Lana and her work, Lana Gets Her Talk. The project was one of 200 projects funded by the Canada Council for the Arts 2017 New Chapter initiative to commemorate Canada’s 150th Anniversary.
Beth also founded and continues to support the development of Edmonton’s Gotta Minute Film Festival, a festival of one-minute silent short films co-produced by the Film and Video Arts Society of Alberta and Pattison Onestop. Going into its 8th year, Gotta Minute is a unique Public Art festival that reaches its audience on public transit, in public libraries, and in other public spaces; a family-friendly festival for one and all.
  • Producer (7 Credits)
    The Final Exam2020
    Short
    From a Light Within: A Christmas Story2019
    Documentary, Short
    From a Light Within: A Christmas Story (Captioned)2019
    Documentary, Short
    From a Light Within: A Christmas Story (DV)2019
    Documentary, Short
    Lana Gets Her Talk2017
    Documentary, Short
    Unforgotten2015
    Documentary, Feature
    Brothers in the Buddha2014
    Documentary, Feature
  • Director (7 Credits)
    The Final Exam2020
    Short
    From a Light Within: A Christmas Story2019
    Documentary, Short
    From a Light Within: A Christmas Story (Captioned)2019
    Documentary, Short
    From a Light Within: A Christmas Story (DV)2019
    Documentary, Short
    Lana Gets Her Talk2017
    Documentary, Short
    Unforgotten2015
    Documentary, Feature
    Brothers in the Buddha2014
    Documentary, Feature
  • Writer (5 Credits)
    From a Light Within: A Christmas Story2019
    Documentary, Short
    From a Light Within: A Christmas Story (Captioned)2019
    Documentary, Short
    From a Light Within: A Christmas Story (DV)2019
    Documentary, Short
    Unforgotten2015
    Documentary, Feature
    Brothers in the Buddha2014
    Documentary, Feature
Best Social Justice Film & People's Choice
The Final Exam
Edmonton Short Film Festival
Edmonton
2022
Nominee: Best Local Short
The Final Exam
Mosquers Film Festival
Edmonton
2022
Award of Excellence
The Final Exam
FAVA FEST
Edmonton, Alberta
2022
Nominee: Golden Sheaf Award Short Subject
The Final Exam
Yorkton Film Festival
Yorkton, Saskatchewan
2022
Golden Bell Tower Award (Best Film)
Brothers in the Buddha
Sacrae Scenae Film Festival 2021
Bergamo
2021
Audience Award
The Final Exam
Paris Short Film Festival
Paris
2020
Award of Excellence/Doc Short
From a Light Within: A Christmas Story
FAVA FEST 2019
Edmonton
2019
Nominee: Best Doc Short
Lana Gets Her Talk
Female Eye Film Festival 2017
Toronto, Ontario
2017
DOC Short Award of Excellence/Audience Choice Award
Lana Gets Her Talk
FAVA FEST 2017
Edmonton, Alberta
2017
Award of Excellence - Long Form DOC
Brothers in the Buddha
FAVA FEST
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
2015
College
University of Alberta, Canada
Masters in Comparative Literature and Religious Studies
Current City
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Celebrating Diversity and Inclusion with film.
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