Imogene turned 100 years old when filming began, Georgie 96.

When filming was completed 4 years later, they shared over 200 years of life experience between them: experiences of poverty and wealth, of marriage and divorce. Of raising children and grandchildren, of confronting a cheating spouse and finding new love. Of joining book clubs and becoming a stand-up comic. Of holding a great-great-grandson and losing a husband after 50 years of marriage. Of hearing the telephone ring and wondering, who could it be? Of all the quiet moments in between.

Filmed over the course of 4 years, Beauty and Chance connects Imogene and Georgie through intimate vérité documentary footage, weaving public and private moments into a single, vulnerable meditation on the hidden struggles and quiet graces of two women writing the final chapters of their lives.

John Harrison, Director

John Harrison is a filmmaker from the United States. As a director and cinematographer he is drawn to the quiet moments and hidden struggles that are at the center of human life. He is strongly influenced by the great vérité filmmakers, especially the Maysles Brothers, Frederick Wiseman, and Haskell Wexler's work in Medium Cool. 

As a cinematographer, John's films have screened in the world’s most prestigious film festivals and won numerous awards, including an Oscar Nomination for the film Kavi (Best Live-Action Short Film Nominee, 2010) and the Student Academy Award for Viola (2008). He is a graduate of the University of Southern California’s film production program (MFA, 2008), and the University of Washington’s department of Spanish (BA, 2003). 

John currently lives in Washington State with his family.

Beauty and Chance: a short documentary about two long lives. Directed by John Harrison.

Runtime 41m15s, Digital Capture, Filmed in Washington State (USA)

Screens 2021