Bella! Crew

www.re-emergingfilms.cominfo@re-emergingfilms.com

Jeff L. LiebermanLiz AbzugJamila C. FairleyAmy WilenskyTamar KaissarGregoire Lourme

Writer, Director & ProducerExecutive Producer

ProducerAssociate ProducerAssociate Producer

Composer

Sec. Hillary Clinton Barbra Streisand Shirley MacLaine

Marlo Thomas Gloria Steinem Rep. Charles Rangel

Rep. Maxine Waters Phil Donahue Lily Tomlin

Letty Cottin Pogrebin Mayor David Dinkins Renee Taylor Leader Nancy Peolosi

Featuring Interviews With:Bella!

In 1970, when the United States was ruled almost exclusively by men, Bella Abzug challenged the status quo, running a successful campaign that elevated her to one of the highest offices in the country. With a Bronx street swagger and trademark hat, Bella was both loved and feared as she campaigned from the streets of New York to the halls of Congress. Foe of Nixon, friend to Streisand and a leader in the new wave of Feminism, her years of activism reached new levels as she fearlessly confronted the establishment. Penning legislation to champion the rights of women, the LGBT community and the working class, Bella embodied a changing world.

Today, as the world confronts an assault on democracy, and events eerily echo those of the 1970s, much can be learned from Bella's Today, as the world confronts an assault on democracy, and events eerily echo those of the 1970s, much can be learned from Bella's bold statements and courageous bipartisan action. While for some a forgotten hero, her battle for equality planted seeds of progress that continue to benefit millions today. At a time when equality is under attack, Bella's tenacity is needed now more than ever.

Why Bella! Why Now?

10. Bella was loud, she was funny, she was larger than life. Her style was iconic, her accent was unforgettable, and she was unstoppable. She defined New York from the Lower East Side to Studio 54, and everything in between. She believed in the good of America, and changed it for the better.

1. 2020 marks the historic 100-year anniversary of the Women’s Right to Vote, a momentous anniversary that many organizations will be seeking meaningful ways to mark by celebrating women in politics, like Bella Abzug, who fought tirelessly for full equality for all women and all men.

2. The presidential election of 2020 is bringing forward a historic number of female candidates, promptingreflection on the women who blazed their path.

4. Cross-over synergy with the Julie Taymor-directed bio-pic “The Glorias” with Bette Midler playing Bella… and the Cate Blanchett Television series: “Mrs. America”.

3. Natural celebrity angle, considering the long list of performers, political leaders and personalities featured in the film.

8. Bella’s relentless efforts in fearlessly combatting corruption in the Nixon Administration, and her continued and early calls for Impeachment and against presidential pardons reveal staggering parallels to today’s headlines.

5. Commercial success of “RBG” highlighting thetheatrical, TV, streaming interest from audiencesinterested in seeing stories about groundbreakingAmerican female heroes of recent times.

6. 2020 is also the 100-year anniversary of the birth of Bella Abzug, who is finally being recognized for her contributions with a recent NYC street naming, and a brand new park named in her honor in the newly-designed Hudson Yards.

7. A portion of the film’s profits will go directly to The Bella Abzug Leadership Institute, a non-profit dedicated to inspiring, mentoring and training young women to become leaders in creating positive social and economic change.

9. Bella’s early efforts for equality, safety and equal opportunity for women, the working class, people of color, and the LGBT community are finally bearing fruit as we see more of her ideas and legislation becoming mainstream belief.

Bella! Treatment

Introduction The sea of pink hats seemed strikingly familiar. As millions of women descended on major cities around the world to protest the 2017 US inauguration, many were reminded of Bella Abzug. The hats were a marked throwback to the woman who made a hat part of her trademark, and many of Bella’s friends were also being asked, ‘What would Bella say?’ After all, Bella was part of a key group of women who paved the way for the possibility of Hillary Clinton’s presidential bid, and like Hillary, also suffered defeats to less qualified men, and the same increased level of scrutiny and misogynistic commentary. But many were also reminded of Bella because of the immense unification of women in protest for equality. That was distinctly Bella - going back decades through thousands of marches. Yet more than 50 years later, the signs and banners were the same. Many demanded Unity, Peace and Equality – values that defined the life of Bella Abzug, an activist who dedicated her life to those ideals - shouting them in the streets, and taking them all the way to the halls of Congress and the assemblies of the United Nations, where she fought for lasting change.

Act 1 In an archival interview, Bella Abzug recalls that she got the most pleasure when she was spending time with working-class people and how much could be accomplished when people joined together. In the early 1960s, Bella began protesting nuclear disarmament by organizing thousands of women to take to the streets. When Women Strike for Peace was accused of Communism and subversion, Bella didn’t back down. She had been battling personal allegations of Communism since college, and as a lawyer, she fought the witch-hunt for years – defending artists Pete Seeger, Zero Mostel and Tony Randall. Her fight against fascism led her squarely against a lynch mob in Mississippi as she tried to defend Willie McGee - a Black Man denied justice, in what became one of the most famous Civil Rights court cases of its era. When Women Strike for Peace members felt that Bella was not “motherly” enough to represent the organization she founded, Bella embraced Feminism. She already had a strong belief in women’s equality since childhood, defying the second-class treatment at her family’s Bronx synagogue. Her subsequent leadership roles in high school and college led to her sharing the stage with First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. Yet, the changing tide of the 1960s brought Bella’s demand for equality front and center. It led to friendships, alliances and skirmishes with Gloria Steinem and Betty Friedan as the women’s movement developed, while continuing a commitment to Civil Rights, working with her husband, Martin, advocating for desegregation, and personally selling their home to the family of Malcolm X following his assassination.

Bella! Treatment

Act 2 Throughout the 1960s, Bella advocated for candidates who lined up with her anti-war beliefs, but often felt she was supporting “men who don’t do what they’re supposed to do”. In 1970, she decided it was time she ran for Congress. Her larger-than-life personality and desire for an organic, progressive and truthful campaign brought together diverse communities from all over Manhattan’s huge west-side district. Barbra Streisand, Shirley MacLaine and other film and Broadway stars campaigned on her behalf, and Bella spent long days talking issues with voters in housing developments, gay bars, Chinese restaurants and community organizations throughout the city. She won that first election with a solid 55% and with only 11 other women joined 420 men in the 92nd Congress. On her first day, Bella introduced a motion calling for the withdrawal of troops from Vietnam. Over the course of 3 terms, Bella pushed landmark legislation that would protect the rights of women, the LGBT community and the disabled. She was the first member of Congress to call for the Nixon’s impeachment, and never stopped fighting for the end of the war in Vietnam. She took on the FBI and the CIA, which led to the discovery that the CIA had been opening her mail for decades. With a small group of courageous women, she fought tirelessly against back room deals, the male political establishment and the corruption that resulted in Watergate - ultimately changing the face of the US Congress.

Bella became known for her battles and in 1976, she took a further gamble, giving up her Congressional seat to run for The US Senate, where at the time, there were no female representatives. Her campaign landed her on talk shows, Saturday Night Live, and on the covers of magazines. But her hard-fought battle against the centrist, Daniel Patrick Moynihan would result in a loss by less than 1%. Undeterred, she immediately fought a second battle against four men to become the next Mayor of New York City in 1977. Despite strong polls and a win in Manhattan, Bella lost the race to Ed Koch. She ran for his deserted Congressional seat only to lose again. She had gone from one of the highest offices in the country to a stunning three losses, barely pausing for reflection. She had gone from being one of the highest elected officials in the country to unelectable.

Act 3 Bella temporarily found a new voice as a direct advocate for women through organizing the Women’s National Conference, drawing together 20,000 women from every U.S. state to write their own future in a 24-point platform for action. The success led to an appointment to President Jimmy Carter’s National Advisory Committee for Women, but ended abruptly in a humiliating dismissal. She attempted another run for Congress, made an appearance in Woody Allen’s Manhattan, but ultimately could not find the place where she could continue to make a difference… until The UN. Like Eleanor Roosevelt, Bella’s work there would be the hallmark of her life for the next 20 years. Her partnerships would take her to UN conferences all over the world, collaborating with women from remarkably diverse backgrounds to ensure they were represented fairly in all UN’s resolutions. Bella was inexhaustible, but also was never the same after the sudden death in 1986 of her husband, Martin. The 1990s would bring her own health setbacks and it was while addressing the UN in 1998 that Bella made her last public appearance, losing her life just weeks later at the age of 77.

Legacy Bella’s dream of a woman representing New York in the Senate was finally achieved when Hillary Clinton made that milestone two years after Bella’s death. Clinton would represent many of the dreams of Bella’s work, and through this film, she and many other women pay tribute to Bella’s trailblazing work. Today, women represent 20% of Congress, and the Bella Abzug Leadership Institute is training another generation of young women for leadership roles. Women are organizing in large numbers in cities across the US to protest Inequality – all too reminiscent of Bella Abzug getting women out of the house to Strike for Peace!

Jeff L. Lieberman Director of Bella!, The Amazing Nina Simone , Re-Emerging: The Jews of Nigeria & upcoming My Harlem Founder of Re-Emerging Films Award-Winning Journalist & Filmmaker

Writer, Director & Producer

Jeff L. Lieberman is an award-winning Filmmaker, Journalist and the founder of Re-Emerging Films. “Bella!” is Lieberman’s third feature documentary as Writer, Director and Producer. His previous films, “The Amazing Nina Simone” and “Re-Emerging: The Jews of Nigeria” have been seen in more than 100 theatres in 21 countries. Lieberman’s work has also appeared on CBS, HBO, CNN, FOX, and currently streams on Amazon and iTunes.

"Bella!" details the life and political accomplishments of the groundbreaking feminist, activist "Bella!" details the life and political accomplishments of the groundbreaking feminist, activist and pioneering congresswoman, Bella Abzug. Bella’s inspiring story and crusading work on behalf of women, the working class, and the LGBTQ community is told through brand new interviews with Barbra Streisand, Shirley MacLaine, Hillary Clinton, Lily Tomlin, Nancy Pelosi, Gloria Steinem, Maxine Waters, Marlo Thomas, Phil Donahue and many more. The film is

slated to premiere in 2020 to coincide with the upcoming historic 100-year anniversary of the women's right to vote.

“The Amazing Nina Simone” (2015) has been called the best of the three Nina Simone films by The New Yorker Magazine, and “The Nina Simone film we should all be watching” by Blavity. It was nominated for Outstanding Documentary by The Black Reel Awards and heralded by The New York Times, BBC News and The Hollywood Reporter for its in-depth research into the often misunderstood singer and civil rights activist. The film features interviews with the people who knew Nina best: her friends, family, musicians and fellow activists, including Eric Burdon, Nikki Giovanni & Sam Waymon.activists, including Eric Burdon, Nikki Giovanni & Sam Waymon.

Lieberman’s Academy Award-Qualifying documentary film, “Re-Emerging: The Jews of Nigeria” was proclaimed as “one of the must-see documentaries of 2013” by New York’s Amsterdam News. The indie favorite premiered in festivals around the world and opened theatrically in New York and Los Angeles. Lieberman ventured into the far corners of Nigeria to document several Igbo communities practicing Judaism, and introduces audiences to the many individuals who insightfully tell of their journeys to discovering Judaism in the fervently Christian/Muslim nation.

Lieberman has also directed numerous short films including “In the Mix: 25 Days and Not a Minute More” starring Usher, and the viral Lieberman has also directed numerous short films including “In the Mix: 25 Days and Not a Minute More” starring Usher, and the viral election video, “Call Your Zeyde”. Previous to forming Re-Emerging Films, Lieberman was a Writer/Producer with CBS National News and a Video Reporter with The New York Post, covering events all over New York and Washington, DC.

Lieberman's next project is a feature narrative film delving into gentrification, entitled "My Harlem".

Jamila C. FairleyProducer

Tamar KaissarAssociate Producer

Amy WilenskyAssociate Producer

Jamila C. Fairley is passionate about creating a space for inclusive, representative, and empowered new storytelling.

Fairley came to the BELLA! documentary project soon after learning of Abzug’s leadership, activism, and dynamism.She is inspired to bring Abzug’s commitment to feminism, race relations, the LGBT community, and creating a better overall human experience to an audience who has not had exposure to Abzug’s contributions. A neophyte documentary producer, Fairley began her career as a CPA with PricewaterhouseCoopers.

There, her main clients were major studios, including The Walt Disney Company and There, her main clients were major studios, including The Walt Disney Company and Warner Brothers. Most recently, Fairley joined Re-Emerging Films from Twentieth Century Fox, where she was a lead expert on domestic and international Production Tax Incentives, securing financing for the studio’s feature films and television shows.

Along the way, she has performed various on-set production roles and produced numerous EPK segments. In addition, Fairley was an Associate Producer on the documentary, RE-EMERGING: THE JEWS OF NIGERIA. Like Mr. Miyagi’s “Wax-on. Wax off.” lesson, all of these experiences have prepared Fairley for winning in the world of producing independent film.

Fairley earned her Bachelor of Business Administration from Emory University’s Goizueta School of Business, her Juris Doctorate Fairley earned her Bachelor of Business Administration from Emory University’s Goizueta School of Business, her Juris Doctorate from Temple University’s Beasley School of Law, and is easy with a pun and laugh.

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