Beth Aala

Last updated
Beth Aala
Born
United States
NationalityAmerican
Occupation(s)Documentary filmmaker, film producer
Notable work Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon , Rancher, Farmer, Fisherman, Made in Boise
Awards Emmy Award, Peabody Award

Beth Aala is a three-time award-winning [1] American documentary filmmaker and film producer. [2]

Contents

Life

Aala's parents emigrated from the Philippines to the United States, [2] where she was born. She attended Elk Grove High School in Sacramento. [3] Aala received a bachelor's degree from UC San Diego in both Visual Arts and Communication. [4]

Film career

Aala is best known for her 2013 film, Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon, which she co-directed and produced with comedian Mike Myers. [5] [6]

She was the co-director, with Susan Froemke and John Hoffman, of the film Rancher, Farmer, Fisherman, which premiered at the Sundance film festival in 2017. [7] [8]

Aala directed Made in Boise, which premiered in June 2019 at the AFI DOCS film festival. The film is a documentary on commercial surrogacy and follows four surrogates. [9] The film would get a wider release as part of PBS documentary series Independent Lens on October 16, 2019. [10]

In 2023 Aala directed Uncharted, a film that shows the behind the scenes of Alicia Keys' songwriting camp, "She is the Music". [11] The film premiered at the 2023 Tribeca Festival. [12]

Awards

In 2005, Aala won an Emmy Award for co-producing I Have Tourette's but Tourette's Doesn't Have Me. [13] She also received Emmys for producing in the "Outstanding Children's Program" category in 2008 and 2011. [14]

In 2006, she won a Peabody Award for co-producing the film The Music in Me. [15]

In 2020, Made in Boise would be nominated for Outstanding Business and Economic Documentary at the 41st News and Documentary Emmy Awards. [16]

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References

  1. "Made in Boise".
  2. 1 2 "Fil-Am Beth Aala wins third Emmy". Manila Times via PressReader.com.
  3. "Super Grads – Making History".
  4. Lo, Ricky (19 October 2011). "More than just a Wiltime 1st-year celebration". philstar.com. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  5. Chang, Justin (10 June 2014). "Film Review: 'Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon'".
  6. "Shep Gordon lives life like a movie - The Japan Times". 28 September 2016.
  7. "'Rancher, Farmer, Fisherman': Film Review - Sundance 2017". The Hollywood Reporter . 20 January 2017.
  8. Harvey, Dennis (24 January 2017). "Sundance Film Review: 'Rancher, Farmer, Fisherman'".
  9. Grobar, Matt (2019-10-11). "Beth Aala Crafts Intimate Portrait Of Commercial Surrogacy With 'Made In Boise' – For The Love Of Docs Screening Series". Deadline. Retrieved 2023-12-13.
  10. "Made in Boise | Films | PBS". Independent Lens. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
  11. "Uncharted | 2023 Tribeca Festival". Tribeca. Retrieved 2023-12-13.
  12. Kaufman, Gil (2023-04-18). "2023 Tribeca Festival to Feature Films About Alicia Keys, Biz Markie, Tierra Whack, Milli Vanilli, Indigo Girls & More". Billboard. Retrieved 2023-12-13.
  13. Bellafante, Ginia (11 November 2005). "Children Persevering in the Face of Tourette's". The New York Times.
  14. "Beth Aala - Television Academy".
  15. "The Music in Me".
  16. "NOMINEES ANNOUNCED FOR THE 41ST ANNUAL NEWS & DOCUMENTARY EMMY® AWARDS – The Emmys". theemmys.tv. 6 August 2020. Retrieved 2024-03-15.