Margaret Betts (born
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
) is an American filmmaker. Her debut feature ''
Novitiate'' was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the
Sundance Film Festival and received a Jury Award for her direction.
Background
Her father is
Roland W. Betts, who had a close personal relationship with former president
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
. The themes of her films are largely inspired by the social consciousness she developed through interactions with former first lady
Laura Bush and the work she has done with various
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...
organizations such as
UNICEF
UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to ...
.
Career
Though she recently signed with CAA, she is also represented by
Brillstein Entertainment Partners
Brillstein Entertainment Partners (formerly known as Brillstein/Grey Entertainment and Brillstein/Grey Communications) is a talent management firm and television production company formed by the 1986 addition of Brad Grey to The Brillstein Compa ...
. She earned her BA in English from
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...
, and though she was not ultimately selected, earned a coveted spot on Marvel's shortlist of potential directors for ''
Black Widow''.
Films
''The Carrier''
Betts gained renown following the debut of her 2010 documentary, ''The Carrier'', at the Tribeca Film Festival. This film was largely inspired by her experience fighting to eradicate AIDS in South Africa. The documentary was also selected for festivals such as
Big Sky Documentary Film Festival
Big Sky Documentary Film Festival is an annual non-fiction film festival held in Missoula, Montana each February. The event showcases documentary films from around the world. The festival first began in 2003 as a seven-day event. It is now a ten- ...
(2012), Documentary Edge Film Festival (2012), One World International Film Festival (2012),
Sedona Film Festival
The Sedona International Film Festival (SIFF) is an annual, eight-day film festival in Sedona, Arizona. The festival was founded in 1994.
The Sedona Film Festival screens feature films, documentary films, short films, animated films, and studen ...
(2012), Women's Film Festival (2012), Minneapolis St. Paul Film Festival (2012), Lone Star Film Festival (2011),
Zurich Film Festival
Zurich Film Festival (ZFF) is an annual film festival that has been held in Zürich, Switzerland, since 2005.
The festival's main focus is to promote emerging filmmakers from all over the world. In three competition categories only first, secon ...
(2011), The 15th Annual Docu Weeks, and Watch Docs Human Rights Film Festival (2011).
''Engram''
Betts wrote and directed the film, ''Engram'' (2014), a 25-minute short film featuring
Isabel Lucas
Isabel Lucas (born 29 January 1985) is an Australian actress and model. She is mainly known for her roles in ''Home and Away'' (2003–06), '' Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen'' (2009), '' Daybreakers'' (2009), ''The Waiting City'' (2009), ...
and
Oliver Ackland
Oliver Ackland (born 9 November 1979) is an Australian actor.
Biography
In 2009 he was awarded the inaugural Heath Ledger scholarship by Australians in Film.
Ackland starred in Ben Lucas' ''Wasted on the Young'', which premiered at the 2010 ...
. This film focuses on the story of two elderly strangers attempting to re-discover a mutual memory as they waited to board a subway train. Betts claimed that the original inspiration for ''Engram'' was derived from the experience her mom had as a survivor of a hit-and-run accident in her youth.
''Novitiate''
Betts also served as the writer and director of the film ''
Novitiate'' (2017).
After participation in the Sundance Film Festival in 2017, this film was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize. It explores the story of a young woman who struggles to understand her newly selected religion as she strives to become a nun.
''The Burial''
Betts also served as the director of the upcoming film ''
The Burial,'' starring
Tommy Lee Jones
Tommy Lee Jones (born September 15, 1946) is an American actor and film director. He has received four Academy Award nominations, winning Best Supporting Actor for his performance as U.S. Marshal Samuel Gerard in the 1993 thriller film '' The ...
,
Jamie Foxx
Eric Marlon Bishop (born December 13, 1967), known professionally as Jamie Foxx, is an American actor, comedian, and singer. He became widely known for his portrayal of Ray Charles in the 2004 biographical film ''Ray'', for which he won the A ...
, and
Jurnee Smollett
Jurnee Diana Smollett (born October 1, 1986) is an American actress. She began her career as a child actress appearing on television sitcoms, including '' On Our Own'' (1994–1995) and ''Full House'' (1992–1994). She gained greater recognition ...
.
Awards and recognition
* Special Jury Award for Breakthrough Director (2017), Sundance Film Festival for ''Novitiate''
* Nominated,
Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award (2017), Gotham Awards for ''Novitiate''
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Betts, Maggie
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
African-American film directors
African-American screenwriters
Film directors from New York City
Filmmakers from New York (state)
Screenwriters from New York (state)
American women film directors
American women screenwriters
Princeton University alumni
Writers from New York City
21st-century African-American people
21st-century African-American women
African-American women writers