Client Interview: Beth Lane, Documentary Film Maker

Humankind Partnership interviewed Beth in May

HK: How long have you been a storyteller on film?

My Grandma Lane used to tell me that she was hosting a big party with a 30 piece swing band and no-one was dancing - they were all over in one corner. So, she and Grandpa Lane went to the corner to see what was going on. They found me in that corner, at the age of three, singing songs to a crowd of guests. I’ve always been an actor, a dancer and a singer. My Mom was a dancer, my Dad liked to croon, my Grandpa Josh was a neurosurgeon with a penchant for language and poetry and my Grandma Roz, was an artist. Being a creative in my family was encouraged, celebrated in fact. I’ve performed in some magnificent theatres such as The Metropolitan Opera in New York City and I’ve performed in some postage stamp watering holes with water leaking through the roof of the dressing room. I loved them both, equally, for very different reasons. Thanks to Joyce & Byrne Piven, where I was an original member of their Young People’s Company, I was cast in my first film in 1979, “My Bodyguard” directed by Tony Bill. I always found myself wanting to hang out with the team at the video village where the director, script supervisor and other crew members were looking at the monitors. I was usually shooed away, but I was persistent. I’ve always told stories in one way or another, mostly live theatre, some writing, a lot of nightclub singing… I learned from so many wonderful teachers that “to put a song over” you’ve got to tell the story. I’ve continued to work in theatre and film, but the first time I produced a film was in graduate school at UCLA where I was enrolled in the School for Theatre, Film and Television. An LGTBQ LatinX version of “Romeo & Juliette” called, “Romeo & Julio.” I donated my house to act as the sound stage for filming, I did the set design, but best of all, I had a place in video village. I felt that my accumulation of years and years working as an actor, combined with my sense of design, (I was an interior designer for many years while my kids were growing up) and the myriad of classes I undertook at UCLA gave me the courage to don the hat of “filmmaker.” This idea of every frame we see on screen is a snapshot, a painting, and can the viewer understand the relationships without words - I really got excited to hone my storytelling skills in this medium.

HK: How did you get started on your project, WYHM?

I’ve always known my mother’s story - bits and pieces anyway. At the age of six, the same age she was when she came to America as a refugee from war-torn Germany, I learned she was adopted. I don’t recall how old I was when I learned she was a Holocaust survivor, as a matter of fact, I’m fairly certain she didn’t even call herself a refugee or a “survivor.” But as a child with a vivid imagination, such that it was no surprise to anyone when I became an actor, I used to fantasize I was meeting my Mother’s birth parents or her birth siblings. Mom’s birth brother, my Uncle Alfons, and I were very close and we had plans to go and visit the farm in Worin, Germany where he and my mother were hidden for two years during the Nazi reign of terror. Alfons became quite ill and died unexpectedly. It was a huge loss for the family. He had been working with the town historians of Worin, to make an application to Yad Vashem to bestow the honor of Righteous Among the Nations to Arthur & Paula Schmidt, the farmers who hid them. After he passed away, the honor, which goes to the next of kin, was granted. My mother felt compelled to go back to Germany for the first time in over 70 years, to honor her brother, to honor the Schmidts and to look at her history square in the eye. We travelled, she and I, along with my sister and Dad to Worin, and we were guests of the town historians, Herbert & Marlis Schuler. These generous, wonderful life-long residents of Worin provided a bountiful spread of delicacies and spirits and on top of their hospitality, they had a surprise for us. The Schulers invited the grandson of Arthur Schmidt to come and meet us. The next of kin! It was a watershed moment. Indeed it was at that moment that I decided I had to make a movie. It’s funny, I had written about my mother’s story on a few occasions, as a one-woman play, a nine character play, poetry…but it wasn’t until I met the grandson, Arthur III, that I was able to see the point of view that I needed to bring this story to life for others to understand and experience.

HK: What do you hope the outcome will be of your film?

I’m a performer. I’ve always loved working in live theatre as a dancer, a singer, an actor. I had always felt I was born in the wrong era or even century. I married my husband thirty years ago and I insisted on a 1920s themed wedding. It was pretty great - we had a 30 piece swing band. I’ve always gravitated towards period pieces in some way. So it should come as no surprise to me that I am making a documentary feature about a period in history when I wasn’t alive, the 20s, 30s and 40s. I love the challenge of making historical figures come to life. In 2018 I played Queen Elizabeth in a production of Mary Stuart, in 2017 I played Helen in Helen - that’s Helen of Troy. So I believe that my strength is in creating nuanced, accessible characters especially with characters who are archetypes in history. As an actor you use your voice and your body as well as your imagination to create a three dimensional character. It’s exciting to bring this skill set to the documentary film world. My job is to capture the essence of the people I am filming so that the viewer can have a physical and actively imaginative response to the characters and their circumstances. My acting teacher, the late, great William Esper, drilled into our heads that acting is merely human behavior in imaginary circumstances. I’m very proud of the fact that WOULD YOU HIDE ME? Has the potential to stir the imagination, tap in to human behavior and inspire the viewer to examine their own capacity for empathy and compassion. I think my ability to discern the truth is what makes our film unique. I guarantee you that whatever you think a Holocaust should look and feel like, WOULD YOU HIDE ME? will not be what you expect. To begin with, it’s a road trip movie. Who doesn’t love a road trip movie? And on this road trip, the human connections made along the way open a portal into the conversation about Holocaust awareness and our capacity to grapple with humankindness.

What has been the biggest challenge in telling this story?

Finding the right balance between serving a younger generation, busting out of my own echo chamber and making sure that I keep the viewer engaged while offering tremendous hope during one of history's darkest hours. This is what keeps me up at night.

What has been an unexpected outcome?

I didn’t realize that when you shoot a documentary you are actually shooting 2 or 3 different films. So I have enough footage to keep me occupied for at least another five years!

What is next for you and your project?

We are in post-production and are screening our fourth rough cut on May 20th which happens to be the 75th Anniversary of the Weber Siblings’ arrival in America. This event is a big deal and at the same time, I’m petrified to show my family members what I’ve done with their story. The film isn’t ready, but i’m showing them the inner workings. We will bring on animators, visual effects artists and musicians next. WOULD YOU HIDE ME? will be ready for a 2022 premiere. But until we get the delivery of our content absolutely right, I simply won’t rest. And then, of course, we have an educational outreach plan and lots of ideas for community engagement. I need to write the book of the story because so many details are being left on the cutting room floor. And then we have tremendous hope for a traveling museum exhibit, all in service of inspiring compassion and reminding ourselves that every small gesture of kindness matters.