A life-long actress, Beth Lane finally stepped on the other side of the camera with her feature documentary film, UnBroken, as executive producer, director, and writer winning her the 32nd Annual Heartland International Film Festival’s Best Documentary Feature Premiere Award. Her directorial debut premiered in Indianapolis on October 8th, 2023. The West Coast premiere took place on October 13, 2023 at the 24th Annual Newport Beach Film Festival and the East Coast premiere took place at the 14th annual DOC NYC Film Festival on November 12 and 13, 2023. Beth established The Weber Family Arts Foundation in 2023. All profits from the sale of UnBroken will be allocated to WFAF whose mission is to combat antisemitism, bigotry and hate through the arts by shining a light on stories of hope, courage and bravery. A museum exhibition is in the works as well as a one-woman play, titled LINA.
What it the title of your film in BIFF 2024?
UnBroken
What was your first experience with film and how did it influence your first project?
The first movie I remember seeing was Frankenstein. I was about 4 or 5 years old and it was positively terrifying. Fortunately, my Dad took me to a puppet show for my birthday, my Mom hired Maggie the Clown for another birthday and I became enamored with ballet, tap, musicals and historical dramas. A circuitous path indeed, I never thought about the relationship between Frankenstein and UnBroken but there are probably some fascinating parallels to exhume.
Who is (are) your favorite filmmakers?
David Lean, Francis Ford Coppola, Waad Al Kateeb
What are you working on that no one knows about?
A book about how making a documentary film allowed me to explore generational trauma, fear, anger, religion, bolemia and… the other thing…
Who would play you in a movie? What’s your go to movie snack? What’s the film title that best describes your life?
Meryl Streep, Twizzlers, not Red Vines, Twizzlers and Harold & Maude. Just kidding! But that’s my desert-island movie. The “film title” that best describes my life is Thelma & Louise or Birdcage – it’s a toss up!