Beth Harrington

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Beth Harrington
Born (1955-07-02) July 2, 1955 (age 68)[1]
Boston, Massachusetts
Alma materSyracuse University, University of Massachusetts
Occupation(s)Filmmaker, musician
Years active1980s-present
Notable workThe Winding Stream: The Carters, the Cashes and the Course of Country Music, Welcome to the Club: The Women of Rockabilly
Websitebethharrington.com

Beth Harrington (born July 2, 1955 in Boston, Massachusetts) is an Emmy-winning, Grammy-nominated filmmaker based in Vancouver, Washington, specializing in documentary features. Her documentaries often explore American history, music and culture, including the Carter Family and Johnny Cash, and the history of women in rockabilly. In addition to her film work as a producer, director and writer, Harrington is also a singer and guitarist, and was a member of Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers from 1980 to 1983.[2][3][1][4][5]

Personal life[edit]

The daughter of an art teacher and an artist/advertising executive of Irish and Italian heritage, Harrington was born and grew up in greater Boston. She attended Catholic elementary and high school in suburban Boston, a subject she revisited in her film The Blinking Madonna and Other Miracles.[6] She holds a bachelor's degree in Public Communications from Syracuse University and a master's degree in American Studies from the University of Massachusetts.[3][7][8]

Harrington's husband, Andy Lockhart, is a volcanologist for the U.S Geological Survey who she met while filming the Nova program In the Path of A Killer Volcano.[3]

Career[edit]

Music[edit]

After volunteering at the pioneering progressive-rock radio station WBCN, she became involved in the Boston music scene as a member of such bands as the Awful Truth and Barry Marshall and the Rockin' Robins.[7] She also did recording work with Willie "Loco" Alexander, Lenny Kaye, Andy Paley and Erik Lindgren, and sang on the soundtrack of the 1989 film Shag. She joined Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers in 1980, touring extensively with that group and singing on its 1983 album Jonathan Sings![9] She also played with Northwest-based band Spiricles from 2011 to 2017.[7]

Film[edit]

Harrington's documentaries have been released theatrically, on streaming and on-demand platforms, and broadcast on public television, both as free-standing features and as episodes of such series as Nova and Frontline. They have been shown at such film festivals as SXSW, the Mill Valley Film Festival, the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival, the Cleveland International Film Festival and the Nashville Film Festival.[10][11]

In 1991, Harrington began a long association with Boston's flagship PBS station WGBH, where she worked as associate producer and line producer on various nationally broadcast documentaries, including episodes of Nova, Frontline and The AIDS Quarterly (later called Health Quarterly).[12] She was a line producer for the Peabody Award-winning show Dating in the Age of AIDS, an episode of Health Quarterly,[13] and associate producer for two national Emmy-nominated productions, In the Path of A Killer Volcano, a Nova episode, and the PBS special Apollo 13: To the Edge and Back.[14][15][16]

After relocating to the Pacific Northwest in October 1996, Harrington became a frequent contributor to Oregon Public Broadcasting, working as a freelance filmmaker as well as doing development work on other projects for that station. Harrington's work for OPB includes producing episodes of the PBS series History Detectives and several specials, including Digital Television: A Cringely Crash Course, one of PBS's first High Definition productions.[17][18] She has also been a producer/director and/or writer on several distance-learning programs for Annenberg Learning, including the photography series Essential Lens and the history series Bridging World History.[19][20]

Harrington also won acclaim for her 1996 feature The Blinking Madonna and Other Miracles, a "creative nonfiction" film telling the story of a miracle Harrington may have witnessed through a combination of documentary footage and scripted scenes performed by actors and real-life participants.[1] It aired on national public television and screened at numerous film festivals.[21][22][6]

Harrington's 2001 independent production Welcome to the Club: The Women of Rockabilly, a documentary about the pioneering women of early rock 'n' roll, was broadcast nationally on public television stations, and was nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best Long Form Video.[4]

In 2008, Harrington produced, directed and wrote Searching for York, which told the little-known history of an enslaved man who served as a valued member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Her 2009 production Kam Wah Chung told the tale of two Chinese men living in Eastern Oregon during the Gold Rush. These programs each received two Northwest Emmy nominations, in the categories of Best Historical/Cultural Program and Best Writing.[23][24][25]

Two other programs produced, directed and written by Harrington—ZigZag: Real Stories, New Angles, an innovative 2004 environmental public affairs show and Beervana, a 2007 look at Oregon's beer culture and history, also received Northwest Emmy nominations, for Best Public Affairs Special and Best Historical/Cultural Program, respectively.[5][26][27]

Harrington's documentary The Winding Stream: The Carters, the Cashes and the Course of Country Music tells the story of country music's influential Carter family, and includes one of Johnny Cash's last interviews. The Winding Stream premiered at 2014's SXSW Film Festival, and went on to appear at over 30 other festivals.[28] It was released in theaters across North America, and later had its digital and DVD launch on Netflix, Amazon, iTunes, Vudu and other platforms, and was well-reviewed in a number of national publications, including Variety, Rolling Stone, and The Hollywood Reporter.[29][30] Harrington was also co-producer of The Winding Stream's soundtrack album, released by Omnivore Recordings.[31][32] In 2021, the New York Daily News named The Winding Stream No. 56 on a list of the 100 best documentaries of all time.[33]

In 2019, Harrington's film Fort Vancouver, the story of the Hudson's Bay Company in the Pacific Northwest, won a Northwest Regional Emmy as Best Historical/Cultural Program.[34][35][23] Her 2020 film Once Upon a Time in the Northwest: The Music of Federale also won a Northwest Emmy.[36]

Harrington is currently developing several new projects, including developing her music-based scripted short The Musicianer, starring actress Grey DeLisle and Canadian musician Petunia, into a feature film.[3][37] Another project, Beyond the Duplex Planet, is a feature-length documentary about artist David Greenberger and his work turning interviews with senior citizens into art.[38] A third, Foremothers, features present-day portraits of trailblazing women of rock 'n' roll.[39] Yet another, Our Mr. Matsura, is a historical non-fiction film about a Japanese photographer's unconventional work documenting the people of Washington state in the early 1900s.[40] The project received development funding in April 2021 from the National Endowment for the Humanities.[41]

Other work[edit]

Harrington is active in various film and arts organizations, having served on the board of the Hollywood Theatre in Portland, Oregon, as well as the Oregon Media Production Association.[18] She is currently a commissioner on the Vancouver, Washington, Culture, Arts and Heritage Commission.[42]

Harrington is also a past president of Women in Film/New England and a former vice president of Women in Film/Seattle. She is a voting member of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. She has been a media instructor at Washington State University, Lewis & Clark College, Bunker Hill Community College, New England School of Photography, Boston Film/Video Foundation, the Northwest Film Center and the Olympia Film Society, as well as an artist-in-residence at the Vancouver School of Arts and Academics.[8]

Awards and nominations[edit]

Harrington's films have won and been nominated for multiple awards; a complete list can be found in the filmography section below. In addition to her individual films, Harrington has also been honored with the following awards for her overall career:

  • I Migliori Award, Pirandello Lyceum, Dante Aligheri Society, Boston, 1986[2]
  • Artist Trust/Washington State Arts Commission Fellowship, 2001[43]
  • Artist Fellow, Playa Art and Science Residency Program, 2018
  • Clark County Arts Commission Lifetime Achievement Award, 2019[37]

Filmography[edit]

Year Film Producerw Director Writer Awards
1984 Countdown to Disaster Associate producer Green tickY Gold Award, National Educational Film Festival
American Film Festival Award[5]
1985 Ave Maria Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Bronze Award, National Educational Film Festival
Society for Visual Anthropology Honoree
Best Documentary, Birmingham International Educational Film Festival
Massachusetts Community TV Award
Finalist, American Anthropological Film Festival[5][44]
1986 Firepower Associate producer Green tickY Gold Award, Chicago International Film Festival[5]
1990 Nova: Can the Elephant Be Saved? Associate producer [5]
1991 The Rage for Democracy Associate producer [5]
1991 The Moveable Feast Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Society for Visual Anthropology Award
National Educational Film Festival Award[5][44]
1992 Dating in the Age of AIDS Line producer George Foster Peabody Award[5][13]
1993 Frontline: The Health Care Gamble Associate producer [5]
1993 Nova: In the Path of A Killer Volcano Associate producer National Emmy nomination[14]
1994 Apollo 13: To the Edge and Back Associate producer National Emmy nomination[15]
Paris Adventure Film Award[5]
1996 The Blinking Madonna & Other Miracles Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Best Documentary, Sinking Creek Film Festival
Award for Conceptual Originality, New England Film Festival[45]
Best of Fest Critics' Award, Northampton Film Festival
Worldfest Houston, Gold Award for Experimental Comedy
Selection, Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers[5][16][21]
1998 Digital TV: A Cringley Crash Course Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY [18]
2001 The Aleutians: Cradle of the Storms Co-producer Green tickY Green tickY [46][47][48]
2001 Welcome to the Club: The Women of Rockabilly Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Grammy nomination, Best Long Form Video[4]
Award for Conceptual Originality, New England Film Festival
Best of Fest Critics' Award, Northampton Film Festival
Gold Award for Experimental Comedy, Worldfest Houston[5]
2002 Oregon Art Beat: Pete Beeman's Simple Machines Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY [5]
2004 ZigZag: Real Stories, New Angles Co-producer Green tickY Green tickY Northwest Emmy nomination, Best Public Affairs Special[5]
Special Achievement Award, Oregon APA[49]
2005 Gates of the Arctic Co-producer [5]
2006 History Detectives: Ernie Pyle’s Typewriter Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY [50]
2007 Beervana Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Northwest Emmy nomination, Best Historical/Cultural Program[5]
2007 Oregon Art Beat: Carter Family III at the American Roots Music Fest Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY [5]
2008 Searching for York Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Northwest Emmy nominations, Best Historical/Cultural Program and Best Writing[5]
2009 Kam Wah Chung Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Northwest Emmy nominations, Best Historical/Cultural Program and Best Writing[5]
2011 Reed Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY [5]
2012 Oregon Art Beat: Allen Say, Illustrator and Author Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY [5]
2014 Essential Lens Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY [19]
2014 The Winding Stream: The Carters, the Cashes and the Course of Country Music Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Best Music Documentary, Cleveland International Film Festival
Best Film by a Female Director, Nashville Film Festival
Best Feature Documentary, Chicago International Music and Movie Festival
Audience Award, Best Feature Documentary, Woods Hole Film Festival
Jury Award, Best Feature Documentary, Santa Fe Independent Film Festival
Best Music, Boston Film Festival
Audience Award, Best Feature Documentary Northwest Filmmakers' Festival
Selection, Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers
Selection, On Screen/In Person Independent Film Tour[5][16]
2015 Oregon Art Beat: Kevin Irving of the Oregon Ballet Theater Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY [51]
2018 Fort Vancouver Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Northwest Emmy Award, Best Historical/Cultural Program Special[23]
2019 The Musicianer Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Best Short, Rails to Reels Film Festival
Best Music Video, Director's Cut International Film Festival
Best Short, Blow-up International Arthouse Film Fest Chicago
Best Music Film, Franklin International Indie Film Festival[52]
2020 Once Upon a Time in the Northwest: The Music of Federale Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Northwest Emmy Award, Arts & Entertainment - Long Form Content[36]
In progress Beyond the Duplex Planet Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY [38]
In progress Our Mr. Matsura Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY [40]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Jewett, Dave (1996-12-12). "Independent filmmaker calls Vancouver home". The Columbian. Vancouver, Washington.
  2. ^ a b Noonan, Veronica (1988-05-11). "Italian-Americans Honored: Eight Boston Residents Named 'I Miglori Mens et Gesta'". The Tab. Boston, Massachusetts. p. 32.
  3. ^ a b c d MacInnis, Allan (May 17, 2019). "Of Petunia, volcanoes, and deals with the devil: Beth Harrington on The Musicianer". The Georgia Straight. Vancouver, British Columbia. Retrieved 2020-09-15.
  4. ^ a b c "Artist: Beth Harrington". The Grammys. Retrieved 2020-09-16.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w "Beth Harrington Filmography". Folkstreams. Retrieved 2020-09-15.[permanent dead link]
  6. ^ a b Cooke, Chris (January 1, 1999). "A Review: The Blinking Madonna". New England Film. Retrieved 2020-09-15.
  7. ^ a b c Symkus, Ed (2014-07-23). "Carters, Cashes are focus of Braintree filmmaker's music documentary". Quincy Patriot Ledger. Retrieved 2020-09-15.
  8. ^ a b "About Beth Harrington". Folkstreams. Retrieved 2020-09-15.[permanent dead link]
  9. ^ Beth Harrington at AllMusic. Retrieved 2020-09-15.
  10. ^ Lurie, Danielle (2014-03-11). "The Women of SXSW: The Winding Stream Director Beth Harrington". Filmmaker. New York City. Retrieved 2020-09-15.
  11. ^ Whyte, Jason (2014-03-07). "South By Southwest 2014 Interview THE WINDING STREAM director Beth Harrington". eFilmCritic.com. Retrieved 2020-09-15.
  12. ^ Koehler, Robert (1991-06-12). "TV Reviews : Mixed Message From 'Health Quarterly'". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. Retrieved 2020-09-17.
  13. ^ a b "The Health Quarterly: The AIDS Report Series, 1992, WGBH-TV". Peabody Awards. Retrieved 2020-09-15.
  14. ^ a b "15th Annual News and Documentary Emmy Award Nominations announced by The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-07-28. Retrieved 2020-09-15.
  15. ^ a b "The 16th Annual News and Documentary Emmy Award nominations announced by The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences" (PDF). Retrieved 2020-09-15.
  16. ^ a b c Beth Harrington at IMDb
  17. ^ D’Antoni, Tom (November 7, 1998). "Digging into Digital TV". The Oregonian. Portland, Oregon.
  18. ^ a b c Paul, Vickie (2014-04-01). "WIFPDX member Beth Harrington strikes a chord with her newest documentary, The Winding Stream". Women in Film – Portland. Retrieved 2020-09-15.
  19. ^ a b "Essential Lens: Analyzing Photographs Across the Curriculum". Annenberg Learner. 2015. Retrieved 2020-09-15.
  20. ^ "The Winding Stream – the Carters, the Cashes, and the Course of Country Music". Cybergrass: Bluegrass Music News Network. 2016-04-05. Archived from the original on 2016-04-14. Retrieved 2020-09-15.
  21. ^ a b "The Blinking Madonna & Other Miracles". Independent Television Service. Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Retrieved 2020-09-17.
  22. ^ James, Caryn (May 12, 1997). "Coming to Terms With Family Secrets". The New York Times. Retrieved 2020-09-15.
  23. ^ a b c "Nominations and Recipients". Northwest Regional Emmy Awards. Retrieved 2020-09-15.
  24. ^ Wastradowski, Matt (2008-11-17). "Film profiles Lewis & Clark slave York". The Columbian. Vancouver, Washington.
  25. ^ Oppegaard, Brett (2009-05-10). "Documenting immigrants' impact". The Columbian. Vancouver, Washington.
  26. ^ Mahar, Ted (November 3, 2007). "'Beervana' serves up Oregon's tasty brew history". The Oregonian. Portland, Oregon.
  27. ^ Gunderson, Laura (July 24, 2003). "Filmmakers retackle transit for OPB television show". The Oregonian. Portland, Oregon.
  28. ^ Haley, Susuan. "The Winding Stream Premieres in Portland". Media Inc. No. June–July 2014. Seattle: Media Index Publishing Group. p. 43. Retrieved 2020-09-17.
  29. ^ Leydon, Joe (2014-03-28). "Film Review: 'The Winding Stream'". Variety. Retrieved 2020-09-15.
  30. ^ "SXSW 2014: The Best of the Fest's Music Movies". Rolling Stone. 2014-03-05. Retrieved 2020-09-15.
  31. ^ Beth Harrington at AllMusic
  32. ^ Scheck, Frank (August 11, 2014). "'The Winding Stream': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2020-09-15.
  33. ^ "100 best documentaries of all time, according to critics". New York Daily News. New York City. 2021-02-26. Retrieved 2021-07-27.
  34. ^ Vogt, Tom (2018-05-11). "Vancouver filmmaker explores the history behind the fort". The Columbian. Vancouver, Washington. Retrieved 2020-09-15.
  35. ^ Hewitt, Scott (June 11, 2019). "Vancouver Shines at Regional Emmy Awards". The Columbian. Vancouver, Washington. Retrieved 2020-09-15.
  36. ^ a b "National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, Northwest Chapter, Regional Emmy Award Recipients". National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, Northwest Chapter. June 7, 2021. Retrieved 2021-07-27.
  37. ^ a b Hewitt, Scott (January 25, 2019). "'The Musicianer' pilot lands at the Kiggins in Vancouver". The Columbian. Vancouver, Washington. Retrieved 2020-09-15.
  38. ^ a b "About the Film". Beyond the Duplex Planet Official Website. 5 March 2019. Retrieved 2020-09-15.
  39. ^ "Foremothers". The Center for Independent Documentary. Retrieved 2020-09-15.
  40. ^ a b "Our Mr. Matsura". The Center for Independent Documentary. Retrieved 2020-09-15.
  41. ^ "National Endowment for the Humanities Grant Award and Offers, April 2021" (PDF). National Endowment for the Humanities. Retrieved 2021-07-27.
  42. ^ Hair, Calley (August 30, 2019). "Vancouver names members to resurrected public arts commission". The Columbian. Vancouver, Washington. Retrieved 2020-09-15.
  43. ^ Farr, Sheila (2001-10-05). "Governor to honor work of state artists' program". Seattle Times. Seattle, Washington. Retrieved 2020-09-15.
  44. ^ a b Del Giudice, Luisa (Spring 1997). "Moveable Feast, 1992". Western Folklore. 56 (2): 186. Retrieved 2020-09-15.
  45. ^ "Film Reviews: The New England Film & Video Festival '96". Sojourner: The Women's Forum. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Sojourner Feminist Institute. May 1996.
  46. ^ Schweitzer, Charlie (2003-04-01). "Interview: Beth Harrington". The Independent. Retrieved 2020-09-15.
  47. ^ Mahar, Ted (May 7, 2002). "Portland-area filmmaker chronicles Aleutian life". The Oregonian. Portland, Oregon.
  48. ^ Oppegaard, Brett (May 6, 2002). "Vancouver filmmaker shows respect for Aleutians". The Columbian. Vancouver, Washington.
  49. ^ "OAPA Awards 1985 to 2018" (PDF). Oregon APA. Retrieved 2020-09-15.[permanent dead link]
  50. ^ Oppegaard, Brett (December 28, 2006). "Vancouver's History Detective". The Columbian. Vancouver, Washington.
  51. ^ "Kevin Irving, Oregon Ballet". Oregon Art Beat. Season 16. Episode 1610. 2015-03-15. Oregon Public Broadcasting. Retrieved 2020-09-17.
  52. ^ "2020 Festival Winners". Franklin International Indie Film Festival. Archived from the original on 2021-07-29. Retrieved 2021-07-27.

External links[edit]

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