Ruth Weiss: The Beat Goddess

Melody C. Miller's film is an homage to an unimaginable career spanning 91 years continuing to date, of one of the most influential writers of the Beat Generation, Ruth Weiss. Miller captures the retelling of weiss' family's desperate escape from the Nazi regime utilizing the powerful animation of somber illustrations showing a train and boat ride to America. This spectacular story of survival and escape from Nazi Germany is just the start of a trailblazing, norm-defying influencer, a gem that we can proudly call our own since weiss made her home here in the Bay Area beginning in 1940s. Miller further highlights weiss' electrifying and always intimate poetry with breathtaking images of exquisite modern dance in unexpected places, to the gloriously lit landscapes and the open glittered night sky. This film documents not only weiss' gift to humanity but archives significant historical moments in our world's social and literary movements. (Cinequest Festival)