Benefit screening of five short documentaries includes premiere of ‘Be Like Betty’
McGRATHPR.com – Hyannis Arts Hall, Greater Hyannis’s home for arts, culture and community, presents “Women & Water,” a mini film festival, produced by its Hyannis Film Festival program, on Thursday, September 24, 7 to 9 pm, at 81 Willow Avenue in Hyannis. The event screens five women filmmakers’ short documentaries exploring women who compete, work and preserve on the water, from a swimmer who set three world records at age 99, to a Cape Cod crew of senior women who dive for trash in local ponds. Doors open at 6 pm for a meet and greet with the filmmakers prior to the documentary screenings. Proceeds benefit Old Ladies Against Underwater Garbage (OLAUG) and Hyannis Arts Hall.
“Women & Water,” presents a lineup including the premiere of “Be Like Betty,” produced by Hannah Walsh and Emma Puchniak, which follows Canadian Betty Brussel, who began competitively swimming in her mid-60s. In 2024 she set world records in the 400-meter freestyle, 50-meter backstroke and 50-meter breaststroke for the 100 to 104 age group. Walsh, who grew up on Cape Cod, also produced “Skin Swimmer” with Puchniak. The film follows Vancouver swimmer Roberta Cenedese as she trains for an ice mile in the frigid Salish Sea wearing only a swimsuit, and has screened at 12 international festivals, including Mountainfilm in Telluride and the Whistler Film Festival.
Two films are featured from director Liz McGregor of BoonDocs, who divides her time between midcoast Maine and Futaleufú, Chile. “Old Ladies Against Underwater Garbage” profiles the Cape Cod group founded by Falmouth resident Susan Baur, whose members snorkel and free dive to pull submerged trash from freshwater ponds, an estimated 6,000 pounds by the group’s count. “Chicas al Agua” follows a kayak course for teenage girls on the Futaleufú River in Chilean Patagonia, and has screened at the Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival and the Wild & Scenic Film Festival.
Directed by Alix Buck,“Lobster Queen,” profiles Captain Gail Atkinson, who has spent more than three decades lobster fishing despite the old superstition that women bring bad luck on boats. The film had its broadcast premiere on CBC Gem in February.
“On Cape Cod, the water is where we compete, work and gather, and these films show women claiming every part of that life, from the starting block to the lobster boat to the bottom of a kettle pond,” said Suzanne Dyer Wise, president of Hyannis Arts Hall. “Sharing the evening with OLAUG means every ticket supports work happening in the same ponds our audience swims in.”
General admission for “Women & Water” is $35. A $100 contributor ticket includes preferred seating and a complimentary beverage. Refreshments and a cash bar serving beer and wine are available during the meet and greet. Tickets are available at bit.ly/467O6vD.
About Hyannis Arts Hall
Hyannis Arts Hall is a year-round home for arts, culture and community in the heart of downtown Hyannis. As the flagship cultural home of Hyannis Arts & Film, a 501c3 nonprofit organization, the Hall brings artists, audiences and community together through theater, music, film, literature, markets, educational programs and community events at 81 Willow Avenue, a longtime community gathering place. Its programs include the Hyannis Film Festival, Hyannis Arts & Flea and a growing range of performing, cinematic, literary and community arts experiences.
Through its programming and support of local and visiting artists, Hyannis Arts Hall works to make the arts accessible, strengthen creative connections and contribute to a vibrant cultural life in Hyannis and across Cape Cod. Learn more at hyannisartshall.com, and follow Hyannis Arts Hall and Hyannis Film Festival on Facebook and Instagram.
