Click here to learn more about Beyond Belief and to view clips of the movie.
Q: How did you get your start?
A: In radio news in college … later I got an on-air job … at Boston University where I studied International Relations and International Communications … I then went to George Washington University Documentary Center. I was a local TV news reporter and anchor in Maryland and New Jersey … I left to do documentary work full time … I started Principle Pictures (based in Plymouth, Massachusetts).
Q: What inspired you to make this film?
A: The women [Susan Retik and Patti Quigley] themselves … when I heard about what these women were going to do, I couldn’t believe it … This inspired the film title … They were so sincere … In Afghanistan, widows are often forced out of their own homes because women don’t own property … the average widow has five children. Almost 90 percent are illiterate … it’s frowned upon for widows to go work outside the home … They [Susan and Patti] did quite a bit of research to see what they could do [in a practical way] to help these women … the initial idea was: wouldn’t it be great to connect with two widows in Afghanistan? ... But once it was apparent they could help so many others with the money they could raise, they realized they wanted to do more …
Q: Did you also do the Bike Ride from Ground Zero in New York City to Boston?
A: [Beth laughs.] I was hanging outside the van, asking them questions! [as they rode their bikes] … It tugged at my heart when Susan first went into the Ground Zero viewing area … but knowing that they were bringing the spirits of David and Patrick [their deceased husbands] home helped … On the first night of the bike trip in New Haven, Patti talked about how good it felt to be moving away from Ground Zero with a sense of purpose, rather than running away …
Q: When the CARE USA worker, Clementina, was abducted, did you consider not going to Afghanistan?
