Martin Bell (director) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Martin Bell
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Bell with wife Mary Ellen Mark at the 2011 Look 3 photography conference
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| Born | January 16, 1943 |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Film director |
| Years active | 1971-present |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Ellen Mark |
Martin Bell is an American film director. He was born on January 16, 1943. He is famous for movies like Streetwise and American Heart. Streetwise was even nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary.
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Exploring Martin Bell's Film Career
Martin Bell has directed many films. He is known for both documentaries and feature films. His work often explores important social topics.
Documentaries by Martin Bell
In 1983, Bell's wife, Mary Ellen Mark, was a photographer. She worked for Life magazine. She was hired to photograph homeless children in Seattle, Washington. A writer named Cheryl McCall joined her. Their story, "Streets of the Lost," was published in July 1983.
Mary Ellen Mark became friends with many of these children. She then asked her husband, Martin Bell, to come to Seattle. He filmed the children to create a documentary. This project became the film Streetwise. It was released in 1984.
Streetwise was a very important film. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 1985. This award is one of the highest honors in filmmaking.
Bell and Mark continued to follow one of the children. Her name was Erin "Tiny" Blackwell. They documented her life over many years. Their ongoing work was shown on the TV show Nightline. This led to another full-length documentary. It was called Tiny: The Life of Erin Blackwell. This film was released in theaters in 2016. It later became available for home viewing in 2021.
Feature Films by Martin Bell
After the success of Streetwise, Martin Bell directed his first feature film. This movie was called American Heart. It starred famous actors Jeff Bridges and Edward Furlong.
The film was inspired by a real-life story. It was about a father and son from Streetwise. The father was in prison. American Heart was nominated for five Independent Spirit Awards. These awards celebrate independent films. Martin Bell was nominated for Best First Feature. Jeff Bridges won for Best Male Lead.
Martin Bell also directed two more narrative films. These were Hidden in America in 1996 and Brotherhood of Murder in 1998.
Martin Bell's Filmography
- Streetwise (1984)
- American Heart (1992)
- Tiny at 20 (1993) - short film
- Hidden in America (1996)
- Brotherhood of Murder (1998)
- Twins (2004) - short film
- Erin (2005) - short film
- Prom (2010) - short film
- Tiny: The Life of Erin Blackwell (2016)
- Streetwise Revisited: Rat (2021) - short film
External Links
- Martin Bell BFI
