Beautiful Was The Fight, the latest documentary by filmmaker Dave Habeeb is set to screen at the Omni Theatre inside The Museum Of Science on May 22nd. The film, which has been enjoying a festival run in the US, and has picked up a number of awards, including the 2023 Telly Silver Award for Cinematography, Editing, and Documentary Feature (Long Form) and was an Official Selection at IFFBoston 2023.
The film tells the stories of several women in the Boston music scene and their struggle to achieve equality and success while embracing their identities and finding a voice in the community. Speaking about the film, Boston native Amanda Palmer was quoted on the film saying :
“HALLELUJAH – IT’S HIGH TIME THIS STORY’S GETTING TOLD.”
Speaking about the film, Habeeb said:
“Beautiful Was The Fight has been my passion project for the past seven years. I wanted to make a film about the local scene that focused mainly on female musicians and members of the LGBTQ+ and non-binary communities. Through my love of music and cinema, I wanted to highlight their music, the value of live performance, the importance of community, and the current state of venues in the Boston area.
As a filmmaker, I wanted to explore what could be done to put Boston on the map as a music destination and keep artists here. Production began in September 2016 and the film was completed in February 2023. The project started shortly after I attended a concert at The Sinclair in Harvard Square on September 9th, 2016, featuring Ruby Rose Fox and Walter Sickert & The Army of Broken Toys. I was already a big admirer of The Army of Broken Toys, but I hadn’t seen Ruby before and didn’t know her music. I became an instant fan. Ruby was the first artist I approached about making a film. My original vision was modest in scope; I envisioned a “weekend-in-the-life” documentary short.”
“Had Ruby not said yes and produced Queen Treatment Only, a concert featuring a line-up of several female-fronted bands from Boston on October 22nd that same year, what became a vastly expanded vision for the film may never have become a reality. The show’s producers, Vickie and Peter Van Ness of gimmeLIVE, allowed me to film backstage and document performances. It was at that event that I met so many additional artists and, on the drive home later that night, realized I wanted to expand the scope of the project. Ruby was very supportive about the idea when I talked with her the next morning.
My goal was to make a film that shined a spotlight on the current Boston music scene and included reflections, mostly from the perspectives of women and members of the LGBTQ+ and non-binary communities – a film that celebrated the talent, success, drive, and passion we have in Boston, but also addressed its many challenges head-on. Most of all, I wanted to make a film that people would feel proud to be a part of.”
Alongside his work as a director, Habeeb has worked at Harvard Business School for the past 30 years, currently in the role of Creative Director, producing multimedia case studies with his team for the faculty. The team travels around the world documenting stories that have included companies and people such as Wynton Marsalis and Jazz at Lincoln Center, Tyra Banks, Chobani, lululemon, Burt’s Bees, Threadless, Tongal, Street Symphony and YOLA, Massimo Bottura, Levi Strauss, Success Academy, Kodak, Eataly, and more.
