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Bette Bentley "She Really Hurt My Feelin
Bette Bentley DIrector.jpg

 DISTINGUISHED

GENTLEWOMAN

     interviews

     Bette Bentley

Q: Bette Bentley, you're a young, hot female director who wants to make movies you call "girly and weird" - does this short film fall into that category?

Bette: LOL and yes. Everything I write comes from a weird, internal world that is often funny even if the subject matter is intense. I have a surreal voice rooted in magic realism and humor. Sometimes there is nothing more real than the surreal. I love [Yoga Class] for so many reasons, but one is thing that really intrigues me, and intrigues me as a filmmaker, that I got to explore here, is making movies about women that are not about romantic relationships with men. Not all my great loves were male. I'd like to see that reflected on screen. Not having to put yourself in that box. There is so much more to being a woman that that. I want to make movies that explore our souls down to our little feet bones. This is an all female cast.

 

Q: The film is called "She Really Hurt My Feelings in Yoga Class" but it's not about yoga class at all. What is it about?

Bette: This short is about the weird, internal world we spiral into when we feel slighted and insecure. The villains or victims we create. It's about those everyday social interactions we take so personally; that often stay with us for days, weeks, or years. If someone cuts you off, its probably not personal, but we see it as a personal attack. It's actually a very immature way to view the world. We all do it sometimes, but how freeing to let that go. I wanted to explore that dynamic in this film. Always through a distinctly female lens. Always with a surreal yet silly tone.

Q: What's next?

Bette: We are going to premiere at an awesome festival. I will announce when I know where [laughs]. I'm hoping to make my feature film next. I have a feature that has been in development for a year. We had a filmmaker attached but I want to direct it. It's my baby. So right now my focus is getting the world to see my shorts and my unique brain-voice. I have so much to say and a creative fire in my belly to tell these stories.

Q: You are a 90s baby - does that affect your aesthetic?

Bette: Dude I love the 90s. I was a baby for most of them, but also they totally shaped my aesthetic - Perfect Blue, Magnolia, Witches. I love primary color story. Paris Texas is also a favorite.

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