The Secret Life of Edith Bell Documentary Thesis

We need your help to make our thesis film! “The Secret Life of Edith Bell” is a short documentary about two chefs, mother and daughter, who connect over their love of food and its ability to bring people together.

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This film follows Roslyn Spence, classically trained culinary instructor and chef, as she learns more about her mother, 94-year-old Edith Bell. Edith was the beloved family chef for celebrities in the 60s and 70s such as Muhammad Ali and the Cosby Family. While she remembers each and every recipe and story of the fabulous people and parties she cooked for, the most important thing for her is the love she is able to share through her food.

We are so honored that the Bell family has opened their lives to us, welcoming us with open arms and recipe books. We’re excited to go on this journey with them, and tell a delicious story about food, connection, and these two incredible and inspiring women.

(for more info on the story, watch the full pitch reel here )

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What is this for?


This project was selected to be one of three graduate documentary thesis films at the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts, and we will be guided by talented Oscar and Emmy-nominated faculty. We are so grateful to be telling this story--especially because of our amazing team. It is a majority female crew, and the first graduate doc thesis in over twenty years directed by undergraduates, in a one-of-a-kind undergrad and grad collaboration.

We are so excited to bring this story to life, and believe it will warm your heart, satisfy your taste buds, and inspire you to do what you love with the people you love most.  


Why donate?


Your contribution is vital in bringing this story to the screen. Donations will go towards equipment rentals, transportation costs, music composition, post-production support, and more. We appreciate contributions at any level, and if you are not able to donate at this time, spreading awareness of this campaign and film is another great way to help us!

PERKS: 

In addition to the simple joy of supporting a group of budding, inspiring, doe-eyed filmmakers bring a hidden-gem-of-a-story to life, here is a list of perks you’ll receive for making a donation:

Commis Chef Level ($10) - A special "Thank You" in the credits <3

Chef de Partie Level ($25) - All the above + the crew will personally curate and send a secret recipe just for you! 

Sous Chef Level ($50) - All the above + the crew will SEND YOU COOKIES from recipes OUR mothers gave us! 

Head Chef Level ($100) - All the above + we will ask Edith Bell ANY cooking question you have on your behalf, and send you a personalized video response from her! 

Executive Chef Level ($250+) - All the above + Associate Producer credit AND a private viewing of the finished film! 

Thank you and can’t wait to share what we’ll be cooking up over the next few months!


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Meet the team:


Zoe Malhotra - Co-Director

Zoe Malhotra is a senior at USC majoring in Media Arts and Practice. She is a lifelong lover and creator of all things film and media, and has led projects that range from VR to fiction shorts to a non-fiction seasonal cooking series. She loves working in the documentary field, and has recently been exploring the culinary industry and human connection to food on screen (though she’s probably just in it for the snacks).

Annalise Pasztor - Co-Director

Annalise is a Texan studying film and anthropology at USC. Her true loves are documentary film and multimedia journalism, and her work has screened at Slamdance, DOCLA, NFFTY, and the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival. More importantly, she bakes a mean pumpkin pie and is decent at not getting lost in the wilderness.

Soraya Simi - Producer

Soraya Simi is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and environmentalist. She has experience producing a wide-range of projects from branded content to short films on all different kinds of people, places, and stories, as well as a knack for problem solving, a sense of humor, and love of collaborating with filmmakers who are driven to make positive change with their work.

Angela Webb-Pigg - Producer

Angela Webb-Pigg hails from the beautiful lands of northern California. She is currently pursuing an MFA in directing & producing at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts. She came to cinema by way of experimental filmmaking which she studied at her undergraduate university, UCSD.  She absolutely loves people, working with them, learning about them, and feels film is the best way to live out this passion. 

Valentino N. Minino - Producer

Valentino N. Misino is a producer and director from Southern Italy, Apulia. After a rhapsodic background in Film Studies and Acting in Rome, Valentino lands in Paris where he directs his first documentary “Pasolini Motore!” (2016) for Canal Plus, about the Italian filmmaker Pier Paolo Pasolini, one of his cinematic idols. Aiming at directing and producing in Hollywood, Valentino is seeking his MFA in Film Production at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts of Los Angeles. An Italian Scorpio, multitasker and lover of challenges, he can do up to four things at a time: he can ride a bike, no hands on the handlebars; carry a full tray of lattes; respond to emails on the phone; and, talk to people on the street. Quality is guaranteed, and accent included.

Kathryn Boyd-Batstone - Cinematographer

Kathryn Boyd-Batstone is pursuing a masters degree in cinematography and directing at USC School of Cinematic Arts as well as working as a Video Producer We Are Mitú, a Latino media company.  After pursuing an undergraduate degree in photojournalism at the University of Oregon, Kathryn worked at the San Francisco Chronicle, as a News21 Fellow, and for the Rivard Report in San Antonio, TX.  

Elisa-Sofia Fioretti - Editor

Elisa-Sofia Fioretti was born in Jesi, Italy and she is currently based in United States. She graduated with Honors at The New School, earned an MPS in Directing at School of Visual Arts and a Screenwriting Certificate at NYU. Currently, she is enrolled at University of Southern California for her MFA in Film & TV Production.



Melanie Lim - Editor 

Melanie Lim immigrated from Manila, Philippines to Los Angeles, CA to pursue a career in filmmaking. As a first generation immigrant, she hopes to bring the American audience a fresh take on Filipino culture. Her short film, Anito, won a screenwriting grant from 2017 Cinematografo Originals contest and screened at the 2018 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival. She's currently working on her masters in film production at the University of Southern California.

Dashiell King - Sound

Dashiell King is an American-Born Canadian-Taiwanese filmmaker with a focus on editing and screenwriting. He loves exploring the endless possible ways and boundaries to telling stories with different mediums and people. When he's not chilling at a coffee shop, he's usually somewhere in the corner of the world trying to meet new people. He's currently pursuing his Bachelor's at USC's Film & TV Production.


Jack Barnes- Sound

Jack Barnes is a current senior studying Film & TV Production at USC, with a minor in screenwriting and music production. He loves documentary work and sound design, and is very excited to embark on this project. He wants to dedicate this bio to his beloved cat, Bronco.