SXSWorld
Issue link: https://sxsw.uberflip.com/i/456163
1 4 S X S W o r l d | F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5 | S X S W. C O M Take a sad song and make it better." If these words from the Beatles' song "Hey Jude," written by Paul McCartney (and credited to Lennon-McCartney) could most apply to anyone in the world, it would have to be Lizzie Velasquez. In her case, her "sad song" was being bullied and abused. With her appearance affected by a rare genetic disorder, she suf- fered first, in person at the hands of other children, and later, over the Internet. A few years ago, someone even posted a video on YouTube that referred to the then teenaged Velasquez as "The World's Ugliest Woman." The video registered more than four million views and con- tained hateful comments that would have left even the world's most confident person feeling shell-shocked, shaken and defeated. But Velasquez wasn't just anyone, and the process by which she picked herself up, gained confidence, found her calling and made her sad song so very much better is the focus of A Brave Heart: The Lizzie Velasquez Story, the rousing new documentary by first-time film- maker Sara Hirsh Bordo. Bordo and Velasquez, both born and raised in Austin, Texas, first met when Bordo, a former movie studio executive, launched TEDxAustinWomen. Bordo's event, which was produced under her Women Rising shingle, became the #1 TEDWomen event of 2013, across 58 countries, and Velasquez's "How Do You Define Yourself?" talk went viral, with more than 10 million views to date in both English and Spanish. A deep bond quickly formed and, though the Velasquez family had been asked many times before, they had never felt comfortable letting anyone tell their story cinematically until they met Bordo. Since TED, it has been a fast road. In a year's time, Bordo not only raised the necessary funds, but her project ended up being one of Kickstarter's most successful documentary fundraising campaigns of all time. She filmed A Brave Heart over the summer, across six cities and three countries, and the film will premiere at SXSW 2015 in what will be a full circle completion moment for the two women. In addition to Bordo's work on the film, original music was created by multi-Grammy nominated artist Sara Bareilles. Justine Ezarik (a.k.a. Internet celebrity "iJustine") serves as an executive producer, and the film was edited by Christopher Roldan, assistant editor on the Academy Award nominated Boyhood. "It's been an amazing year for me. I traveled out of the country for the first time, I found my passion as an anti-bullying activist and to now have the film premiere in my hometown at South by Southwest – I'm just so grateful and excited," said Velasquez. Elizabeth "Lizzie" Velasquez was born on March 13, 1989 in Austin, four weeks premature and weighing just two pounds, 10 ounces. Soon after, it quickly became apparent that she had a condition (reportedly so rare that only two other cases have been documented) that would prevent her from gaining weight and would affect her for the rest of her life. Despite the ensuing challenges, her parents, Lupe and Rita, doted on her with unconditional affection, which would shape Lizzie's upbeat, hopeful and idealistic view of the world. A Brave Heart takes Lizzie back to painful scenes from the past, where she recalls her first day of school with heartbreak at the ridi- cule and bullying that still brings her to tears. Yet, she stayed strong, eventually made friends and even made the cheerleading squad in Bravery at the Heart of Lizzie Velasquez's Transcendant Story by Scott Mantz Lizzie Vela s q u ez "