An aspiring songwriter from a small steel town, BETTY MABRY DAVIS
arrived on the scene to break boundaries for women with her daring personality, iconic fashion style and outrageous funk. She befriended JIMI HENDRIX and SLY STONE, wrote songs for the CHAMBERS BROTHERS and the COMMODORES and married MILES DAVIS - turning him from Jazz to Funk and then went on to ignite stages in the 70s with her sassy sexed up mix of hard rock and bluesy funk, inspiring countless artists from PRINCE to ERYKAH BADU to KAREN O and PEACHES. Then she vanished...
Betty was the original Nasty Gal, breaking boundaries and blazing the way for others to follow.
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Funk
diva Betty Mabry Davis was a songwriter, fashion model, and cultural groundbreaker whose
career soared in the mid 70s, fueled by her outrageous song lyrics and aided by
her many famous collaborators. But Betty’s life was more than her music, her striking
looks, and the talented people she knew - there was
another, more mysterious and deeply private side to this sassy icon who changed the landscape for women in music.
With the direct participation of the once elusive Betty, now breaking her silence
after 35 years of self-imposed solitude, our film will tell the exciting,
inspiring, truly extraordinary story of this empowered, free-spirited funk
goddess for the very first time.
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Betty's concerts were legendary and broke new ground for female performers
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Betty and her band FunkHouse
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Helmed
by an award-winning production team with exclusive life story rights,
NASTY GAL
is an original feature-length film that revisits and rediscovers the
real Betty
Davis, a cult figure in popular music whose little-known, incredibly
rich life
journey touches on issues of gender, race, fame, spirituality, and the
role of
liberated women in American society. Although substantially based on
vital
present-day testimonies from Betty's closest confidantes, we will tell
this
story using never-before-seen archive, interviews, and fact-based,
cinematic
reconstructions performed by a high-profile actress/music personality
and
scripted with Betty’s own words. Within the film there will be moments
of a
large-scale, professionally produced Betty Davis tribute concert in her
hometown of Pittsburgh, performed by members of her ’70s bands,
legendary contemporary
artists, and many of the interviewees in the film. This benefit concert,
whose proceeds will go to help Betty herself, we hope will be
the first time that Betty shows herself to the public again.
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Betty in New York 1974
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Betty herself wants to make
this film now while she is "still here" and wants to do it independently
and with a trusted team. The struggles she faced, of resisting
commercialization, of being true to one's inner voice and the battle of
public and private identity is as pertinent as ever to all of us living
in an image obsessed culture in 2015. Our film will show that Betty
Davis was a woman ahead
of her time—and that she suffered for her uncompromising independence.
Betty broke and flouted taboos resisting what was deemed “respectable”
for women, leading the NAACP to object to her music and
commercial radio stations to ban her songs. Betty always refused to
compromise, always remaining true to her art and voice
rather than give up her creativity. She knew she 'was different' and
she suffered for that. This still untold story, set to the greatest funk
music America has produced - will set the record straight and finally
give Betty her legacy.
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Betty's control of her image and music was unprecedented, pushing boundaries that led to boycotts and bomb threats
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By the early 1980s, Betty — the vivacious
spirit who commanded attention wherever she traveled — had disappeared from the
scene, leaving her whereabouts a complete mystery.
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Betty's life has always been shrouded in mystery
We found Betty
living in the same small steel town where she spent her childhood. After
years of building trust, she
wants now to reflect back on her life and the difficult circumstances
that resulted in her leaving not only the public eye but also making
herself inaccessible to former friends
and colleagues for over three decades. As the film unveils Betty’s
childhood,
as well as the isolative years of her post-career life, we will explore
how she
rose above many dire challenges to remain fully and spiritually true to
herself
with a sensitivity that honors our subject. In the 21st century, as her
music
continues to be discovered and Betty is cited as a major influence by
artists
as diverse as Prince, Lenny Kravitz, Nona Hendryx, Erykah Badu,
Questlove, Karen O, Ice Cube, and many more, the story of this “black
panther woman” (Carlos Santana) will
finally be told, and the mystery of her fall into oblivion made comprehensible,
even to those closest to her, for the
very first time.
Betty’s
battle as a female artist breaking stereotypes, resisting commercialization and
trying to be true to herself is a conflict played out endlessly today. Help us tell this important story and
support Betty in a time of need!
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We
have been working as a small, self financed team developing this film with
Betty for over two years — driven by her compelling human story and our passion
for her music — but we have now exhausted our own means to keep producing the
film in an authentic and independent manner and realize that the only way to
ensure we can continue to keep NASTY GAL in this vein is through donation. We
are determined to make this film in the tradition and spirit in which Betty
Davis also approached her music: to be creatively independent, to be true to
Betty’s own story and to avoid having to comply with a formulaic format made
solely for TV. We need your help to retain that freedom for as long as possible
in order to realize the film we've envisioned with Betty's input. Only then do
we envisage partnering with broadcasters and other investors who have already
shown great interest in the film.
Ultimately, INDIEGOGO support will allow us to push the film substantially forward. This is how:
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1.
FINDING UNIQUE NEW ARCHIVE: During our 2+ years of research
and outreach, we have sourced a trove of
previously unpublished photos, old demos and never-before-released live
recordings, and more! Your support now will let us SECURE this and also,
vitally, obtain the rights. We are also on the trail of the only
existing high quality 35mm footage of Betty performing live - this is
incredibly exciting. Your support will give us a crack team of
archivists to search through
private collections, libraries and personal collections around the world
and get all this into the film.
2. SECURING THE MUSIC: A
successful campaign will allow us to license Betty's
extensive song catalog – we want viewers of
the film to discover her music as part of the story we'll tell. We want
this to be one of the greatest funk films ever - with a fantastic
soundtrack. Even at this
early stage, we need to clear a substantial amount of master rights
which are
very expensive. Your help will allow this.
3.
GETTING THE UNTOLD STORY: Betty Davis is not just an American but a global
icon – she touched many lives and inspired many careers, in the U.S., U.K.,
France, Japan, and Australia. Your donations will finally allow us
to meet and interview Betty’s friends and artistic colleagues in New York, Los
Angeles, San Francisco, London, Tokyo and Pittsburgh who will reveal untold
parts of the Betty Davis story and shed new light on her character and mysterious later
years.
Both Betty and all the team are eager to continue and make this
something incredible -- but we can only take the next step with your
help. Thank you.
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Filmmakers
Phil Cox and
Damon Smith and Producer
Giovanna Stopponi
have premiered
their feature films and trans-media work at festivals such as Sundance,
the Berlinale, IDFA, Toronto, New York and many others. We are a
committed, experienced, passionate and independent team - and for the
last three years have been dedicating ourselves to working with the
amazing Betty and preparing this movie to become a reality!
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The film team in Pittsburgh casting for the young Betty Davis
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What are you going to do with this money? The production has been self funding for three years and now needs specific help to jump forward on the search for archive, music licensing and principal photography. See our Betty pie chart for a specific breakdown of where the money will go!
What happens if you don't reach the total? However much we raise, every dollar donated will go to making this movie happen!
How is Betty involved? It is Betty's wish to now cement her legacy and she is collaborating with us every step of the way across the project.
When do I get my perk? Please note that delivery times may vary but estimates of delivery are stated beneath each reward. The date of the film's release might be subject to change but have not doubt we shall honor every single pledge.
What about my limited edition movie t-shirt size? We will be in touch with you towards the end of the campaign to know your personal size and style!
I want to get involved and support Betty's legacy and this movie more! This would be brilliant! We need YOUR help and ideas and backing - feel free to contact the team at nastygal@nativevoicefilms.com
I have old photos and video of Betty performing. What do I do with them? Get in touch! We'd love to take a look at anything you have in your personal collection -- it might find its way into our film.
