New York Times By Alex Vadukul
Jan. 26, 2024
“There was also an envelope scribbled with six names in blue ink: “Mitchell, Frankenthaler, Hepworth, Bourgeois, Krasner, Nevelson.”
“All female artists,” Ms. Barrada said. “This gives a sense what was on her mind. She knew she should be on this list.””
“Through her loving telling of Bettina’s story, van der Borch achieved the ultimate objective of documentary film; she gave us a window into a fascinating world that we’d never be able to enter if not for her camera.”
I have selected some articles that have made me as a filmmaker proud of the work I set out to do. Sometimes it's the ripple-effect of some of my films that lead me to share it.
The feature film I made in 2010 Girl with Black Balloons, about the artist Bettina, the oldest resident of the Chelsea Hotel, who passed away at the age of 94 made an everlasting impression on my friend and artist Yto Barrada. Yto decided to dedicate some of her efforts towards shining a light on Bettina’s unseen art and has created a book BETTINA. When I was walking through Paris the summer of ‘22 the book launched, I happened to stumble on BETTINA, there she lay in the window of a beautiful book store! Something inside of me knew this would have never happened had I not wandered into Bettina’s life all those years ago in NYC... All I could think of was how thrilled she’d be to be back in Paris.
“Through van der Borch and Grøttjord-Glenne’s intimate lens and the sisters’ own playful home videos, we witness the three girls, as they bloom into self-confident young women, empowered by their whole community of women.”
“Het is een film over een gemeenschap van meisjes en vrouwen die elkaar verheffen. En dat van generatie op generatie.’ Zusterschap, inderdaad. Vrouwen die elkaar steunen.”
I realize that by meeting these extraordinary women and knowing that they place their trust in me to share their story is a huge responsibility.
It has resulted in stories I feel proud of making in collaboration with a great film crew. It has led to friendships and impact that will last a lifetime.
After Sisters On Track was released on Netflix, I felt so proud and honored because of how much attention was given to the amazing work that coach Jean and her staff do for the girls of her Brooklyn track club Jeuness. In 2022 Jean was awarded as a Champion for Change by CNN and was inducted in the Armory Hall of Fame in NYC.
“Sisters on Track” starts out as a flashy success story about headline-making kids but turns into something much more meaningful: a tribute to the value of being strong in spirit”
“ I hope people will see how much love and dedication and thoughtfulness we poured into this film and how it was a true collaboration between female filmmakers behind the camera and the strong female protagonists in front of the camera.”
“Sisters on Track Review: A Miracle of Opportunity Emerges in a Broken System.”
“ The doc is not just about being a kid, though—it’s about raising one as well. ”
“Sometimes a movie can sneak up and floor you. Such a phenom is “Sisters on Track,” a deeply emotional documentary starting this week on Netflix that deserves a place on your must-see list.”
“ Remembering the World of Bettina,
Resident Artist of the Chelsea Hotel. A living artist carries on the legacy of another, through
important intersections and convergences of their work. ”
BETTINA APERTURE BOOK CLUB TALK
"Bettina" is the first monograph to showcase the work of the previously unsung artist Bettina Grossman, whose wildly interdisciplinary practice spanned photography, sculpture, textile, cinema, drawing, and more. An eccentric personality fully dedicated to her art, Bettina lived in the famous Chelsea Hotel from 1968 until her death in late 2021. In her tiny studio, she produced and accumulated a considerable body of work, much of which has remained unseen and unpublished until now.
For the October Aperture PhotoBook Club gathering, Aperture executive director Sarah Meister joined artist Yto Barrada, filmmaker Corinne van der Borch, curator Ruba Katrib, designer Gregor Huber, and creative director of Aperture Lesley A. Martin. This conversation was originally streamed on Wednesday, October 26, 2022.