“[A woman] whose persona is every bit as dramatic as the characters she played in Madame Butterfly and Salome, as an opera star in 1950s Europe.”
- Preservation Magazine, August 2005

MaVynne Betsch lived on American Beach on Amelia Island, Florida, the African-American Hyannisport, where the crème de la crème of black society came to relax in the Jim Crow South. MaVynee’s millionaire great- grandfather, Abraham Lincoln Lewis, founded the beach. MaVynee was raised in the lap of luxury, but her wealth and privilege vanished after she gave away her entire fortune to environmental causes.

Until she lost her battle with cancer, MaVynee, also known as “The Beach Lady”, struggled to halt the encroaching development that has threatened her beloved American Beach. Cutting a striking figure with her seven-foot long dreadlocks and her curling fingernails, she made it her full-time mission and responsibility to protect her community – physically, culturally, spiritually and historically. With almost no material resources, she took on major developers and stood firm in her commitment to the conservation of the beach and the perpetuation of her great-grand-father’s legacy.

What people are saying about the film:

After viewing a presentation of an early version of the film, David Thundershield Queen of News-Leader wrote:

“Erica hit the mark with the her production… this engaging documentary that chronicles MaVynee Betsch’s courageous struggle against seemingly overwhelming odds – a lack of funds, the land-hungry Amelia Island Plantation, stomach cancer and even some detractors from within her own African-American community – to ultimately triumph against all odds… The example offered by MaVynee Betsch and chronicled so well in ‘The Beach Lady,’ gives hope and direction to those who struggle to preserve both culture and rapidly vanishing natural beauty against the cancerous tide of mundane progress.

Speaking of MaVynee Betsch:

“A true philanthropist, altruistic in every deed, Betsch embraced and charmed every person she met, enlightening us on the importance of her African American Heritage.”
- Karen Miller, Amelia Islander Magazine

“A woman of substance.”
- Jim and Sidney Tunstall, Emagazine.com

“So many lives she touched did marvel at this world-traveled opera singer who became an activist for a better world.”
- Kyle Meenan, First Coast News

“Her voice is as cultured, worldly and refined as you’d expect a former opera star’s to be.”
- Russ Rymer, Smithsonian Magazine

“More than a leader in preservation in Northeast Florida. She is a recognized leader in preserving land and history in the south.”
- U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson

“American beach could easily have disappeared – but it didn’t thanks to Betsch and her allies.”
- Michelle Nijhuis, Sierra Magazine

“No trip to American Beach is complete without an audience with the Beach Lady.”
- Drew Stewart, News-Press.com

“MaVynee was a brilliant, eccentric, and colorful figure that promoted, persuaded, lobbied and fought to preserve the public beach.”
- Susan Grandin, Trust for Public Land

“There was no threat to fellowman or Mother Earth with which she did not cross swords and strike telling blows. It behooves all of us Americans to ensure that MaVynee's legacy is kept alive as an inspiration for future generations.”
- Stetson Kennedy, Noted Activist

The Filmmakers

Erica McCarthy
Director, Producer
McCarthy studied at the Danish Film Institute and the University of Georgia's Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communications.

Her early documentary work includes features for the Georgia Public Television. She has worked extensively in music videos for world-famous musical acts such as REM, B-52's, Cheap Trick, Vic Chesnutt and They Might Be Giants. She has worked in high-end postproduction at Atlanta's Video Tape Associates. She has also worked in all production capacities for the major television networks, as well as in Europe and Mexico. In 1996, she received an Emmy for her work with Bob Costas on NBC's coverage of the Centennial Olympic Games.

That same year, she formed Nowhere Productions in Athens, Georgia. Erica's goal with Nowhere Productions is to create a production company uniquely qualified to tell the stories that the Southeastern United States is known for.

The Beach Lady is Erica McCarthy’s most emotional and artistic project to date. Erica was a long time friend and admirer of MaVynee, and sharing this documentary with the world means a lot to her.

Nancy Higgins
Editor
Nancy Higgins has a B.A. in philosophy from The University of Texas and an M.A. in Cinema Studies from Emory University. Her editing career began as an assistant editor for the critically acclaimed and technically innovative documentary Waking Life. In May of 2005, she finished her own feature documentary, Viva Les Amis, which she edited, produced and directed. Higgins currently works as a freelance editor in Austin, Texas.

Bryan Cole
Co-Producer

Press Photos
Nowhere Productions made numerous photos available for use by media outlets in stories concerning The Beach Lady . Below is a list of these photos, as well as the attribution copy for each photo. Please note that each of these photos is high resolution, suitable for print. The resulting downloads will be large and compressed using ZIP compression.

Thumbnail	Caption	Click to download
	MaVynee Betsch, the Beach Lady Photo by Charles Woods
	MaVynee Betsch, the Beach Lady Photo by Ivy Bigbee
	MaVynee Betsch, the Beach Lady Photo by Bob Self

Media Clips

Radio Obituary WJCT-FM Jacksonville (MP3)
Beach Lady Answering Machine Message (RM)

Four audio clips (WAV Formt) of MaVynee Betsch, from the upcoming documentary "The Beach Lady".

Documentary Audio Clip 1  

Documentary Audio Clip 2  

Documentary Audio Clip 3
Documentary Audio Clip 4