Filmmakers Elisa Levine and Gabriel Miller’s SWEETHEART DEAL tells the story of 
our sex workers caught in the spiral of addiction who turn to a self-proclaimed healer offering 
friendship and a path to salvation away from Seattle’s Aurora Avenue. When the dangers of the streets close in on a group of sex workers battling addiction, they find refuge in the roadside motorhome of a man with 
a mysterious past. But just as they begin to rebuild their lives, a shocking betrayal comes to light that will change them all. Rather than fall victim to another cruel injustice, they discover the strength to stand up for themselves and for each other. SWEETHEART DEAL is heavily influenced by the 
Cinema Verité genre, the single largest inspiration being the iconic work of the late Mary Ellen Mark. Mark’s stunning photography of unhoused Seattle street kids sparked the heartbreaking 1984 Academy Award 
nominated documentary Streetwise. Co-director Elisa Levine joins us for a conversation on the professional and personal commitment that went into making Sweetheart Deal, the loss of her friend and colleague, co-director Gabriel Miller, how getting to know the women in the film, Kristine, Tammy, Sara and Krista (Amy), has changed her own life, the constant danger that these women face and their resiliency in the face of trauma and daily hardship.
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For more go to: sweetheartdealmovie.com
Premieres in Seattle on September 27, 2024
Premieres in Los Angeles on October 18, 2024
About the director – Director / Producer ELISA LEVINE is a Seattle-based filmmaker with a passion for exploring subcultures hidden in plain sight using verité storytelling. Sweetheart Deal, her directing debut, was hailed by RogerEbert.com as, “one of the most astonishing studies of a real-life predator ever committed to film”, and lauded as, “an astounding feat of documentary filmmaking” by Film Threat. Notably, Elisa served as lead researcher on Robinson Devor’s haunting documentary Zoo, featured at Sundance and Cannes. Elisa’s work has screened at numerous festivals, including Seattle International Film Festival, Slamdance, and BendFilm, garnering multiple jury and audience awards. She is a fellow of Film Independent, Points North Institute, Sundance Documentary Film Program, and Sundance Edit & Story Lab. Elisa has served on the BendFilm and Big Sky Documentary Film Festival programming teams, and recently served on BendFilm’s 2023 Documentary Shorts Jury.
About the director – Director / Director of Photography Gabriel Miller (1972 – 2019) was an award-winning cinematographer and director. Miller worked with a number of Oscar-winning and Oscar- nominated filmmakers, including Cynthia Wade, Sari Gilman, and Liz Garbus. Productions he worked on have been broadcast on HBO, the BBC, the Sundance Channel, PBS, MTV, Discovery, A&E, and ARTE. Miller was a Points North, Garrett Scott, and Sundance Institute fellow. Miller’s cinematography credits include the 2019 Peabody award winning HBO documentary A Dangerous Son; the Oscar nominated King’s Point; and Wonder Women! The Untold Story of American Superheroines, which aired on PBS.
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“The footage of these four women is so intimate. They allow us into their lives, to see them at their worst. The film is handled so sensitively that it never feels exploitative.” – Sheila O’Malley, RogerEbert.com
“Sweetheart Deal takes an unflinching look at four drug-addicted sex workers in Seattle, but what they experience can happen to anyone with the same struggles anywhere. This documentary is a cautionary tale that offers glimmers of hope.” – Carla Hay, Culture Mix
“…a staggering achievement in documentary filmmaking” – Michael Ward, Should I See It
“The documentary creates a complete story, never favoring the shame-heavy or the cliche inspirational versions of the steered-straight narrative; instead, Levine and Miller give us reality.” – Josiah Teal, Film Threat
“If you are a student of the human condition or studying psychology or criminology, this is a fantastically worthwhile film to seek out. It will show you and reinforce what tuned-in healthy people already know: The weak will always feed the strong.” – April Neale, AWFJ.org