Betsy Burke presents films through Outskirts 66 Productions. Here is a sampling of over a dozen short films she has created.
Teardrop was an entrant to the Albuquerque 48 Hour Film Festival. Contestants are given 48 hours to write, shoot, edit, and turn in a 7 minute film. Each film must contain given elements: a genre, a character, a prop, and a line of dialogue. Teardrop swept the competition with a record 7 awards, including Best Writing, Best Actress, Runner-up Best Picture and Cinematography.
Tagline & Synopsis:
"Can Rachmaninov really save your life?"
Emily's piano teacher is acting really strangely. Emily's grandfather has about the inertia of the broken-down Teardrop trailer he lives in. Emily's piano teacher becomes suicidal, and her grandfather gives up. But they both love Rachmaninov. Emily gets them to compose a new harmony together in a surprising way...
Related Links:
CBS interview with Betsy about Teardrop
COWBOYS
(2004) 14 minutes
written & directed by Betsy Burke
Cowboys was chosen for production by The Duke City Shootout on the merits of the script. Cowboys was the subject of an NPR "On the Media" interview, and was selected for an Ohio school tour.
Tagline & Synopsis:
"Sometimes you gotta do things yer Ma says you can't."
The year is 1959, when the dream to be a cowboy is in every boy’s heart. Monte and Leroy, two 8-year-olds, sneak into an abandoned shack and find real guns and bullets. Monte tells his neglectful mother he is going to live in the mountains and become a cowboy, but she ignores him. So, the boys go off on an adventuresome day, narrowly cheating death several times. They hook up with a double crossing cowboy, are rescued by an imposing Indian, escape from the sheriff, and are accountable for the death of a rabbit. Monte makes his way back home, but his mother dismisses his account of the day as a boyish fantasy, and tells him goodnight.
Festivals:
Duke City Shootout
Santa Fe Film Festival
Ohio International Film Festival
Reel Women Film Festival
Crested Butte Reel Fest
Noche Delicious Film Festival
Related Links:
Listen to audio link: Cowboys on "National Public Radio"
REBEL REBEL
(2000) 21 minutes
written, directed & produced by Betsy Burke
Rebel Rebel was funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment of the Arts.
Tagline & Synopsis:
"What would you rather do, kill yourself or take in a teenager?"
Teenage Maze can't take living with her mother, so tries running away from home and prostitution. She is dumped by the police on the doorstep of her second aunt, Dolores, distracting Dolores from her suicide attempts. Over shared wine and Valium, Maze and Dolores re-establish lost common ground and discover a deep level of caring and respect for each other. They fall into an unconventional love, affording them only a fragile happiness.
Festivals:
Palm Springs International Short Film Festival, Academy Award Accredited
Frameline International Film Festival
Austin Gay & Lesbian Film Festival
Image & Nation Film Festival, Montreal, Canada
Berlin Lesbian Film Festival
Out in Africa Film Festival, Cape Town and Johannesburg
Immaginaria International Film Festival, Bologna, Italy
Bari International Fim Festival, Bari, Italy
Kino im SHULZ, Koln, Germany
Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival
North Carolina Gay & Lesbian Film Festival
ODU Film Festival
Cinefalble International Film Festival, Paris, France
BAD DOG (2015) 1:29 minutes
written, directed, & produced by Betsy Burke
Bad Dog was selected for a New Mexico Filmmakers Showcase
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