Bess is perhaps Vermont’s most tireless filmmaker who not only hones in on some of the most burning issues the community faces but is not content with merely making a film about it. Once completed she devotes her time to lobby on all levels, from community centers to state level, to spread the word and create change. She takes her films everywhere in order to create conversations about their subjects. As Bess has said, what she likes about making the films she makes is that she can “be an artist and an activist at the same time.”
She has made films about eating disorders (All Of Me), about Circles of Support and Accountability program that helps recently released prisoners reintegrate into their communities (Coming Home), about domestic violence (The Hungry Heart) about the opiate crisis in the state, and many more. As Bess said in an interview with Seven Days: “I often joke that all my films are essentially the same film, because these issues all intersect with each other”.
Bess is a true community champion and VTIFF is honored to add to the many awards she has already received. She is agreat example of the power of cinema to raise questions and challenge ignorance.