Since winning the IFP/Seattle Spotlight Award last winter, "Betty" has been through a rigorous script development process with producer Annie Flocco, who has guided the project with great care, helping to keep the original vision intact. We reached out to many talented individuals in the Seattle writing and filmmaking community for feedback on various drafts and can't thank you enough for sharing your time and insights. Special thanks to Barney Lichtenstein and Sandra Aloha for encouraging us to be bold. And, thank you Adam Sekuler for helping us get off the ground and introducing us to Joy!

It's fantastic to finally be within reach of making this film with such a talented team, including Sean Porter as DP and Joy Andrews as Production Designer. Steve Kodish as co-producer, Jamie Friddle as production coordinator, and Laurie Hicks as Art Director. We'll be working with Stephen Salamunovich of Complete Casting as part of our IFP/Seattle grant support. If you're interested in a part or know a great actor for one of 19 characters, please check out our cast page.

It's an amazing opportunity to create a short film with so much grant support. Thank you to all of the sponsors of the IFP/Seattle Spotlight Award and to Michel Hansmire and Cheryl Slean for your support. Thank you also to the Seattle Mayor's Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs for awarding Heather a CityArtists grant in support of "Betty."

xo Heather, the director