NYWIFT Blog

NYWIFT @ Tribeca: In Conversation with Casting Director Bess Fifer

By Katie Chambers

As an independent casting director based in New York, NYWIFT member Bess Fifer has played a key role in shaping numerous careers across film and television. Her commitment to authentic, diverse, and inclusive casting has made her an in-demand collaborator, an Artios Award Winner, and an Emmy Nominee. Fifer specializes in ground-breaking independent features, such as Lingua Franca and The Light of the Moon, and hugely popular television shows, including the Apple TV+ series Severance, It’s Bruno! (Netflix), and Escape at Dannemora (Showtime).

Fifer’s latest project – prolific music video director Barnaby Clay’s feature directorial debut, The Seeding –  will be scaring up audiences at the 2023 Tribeca Festival. When a hiker gets lost in the desert, a gang of feral children propelled by haunting legacies traps him in a sadistic battle for survival with a frightening endgame. Tribeca describes the film as “a stone-cold nightmare that confronts our fears of isolation and unchecked toxic masculinity headfirst.”

Fifer talked to us about her process casting the film.

 

NYWIFT Member Bess Fifer

 

Congratulations on your premiere! What does inclusion in the Tribeca Festival mean to you?

C’mon it’s Tribeca! Iconic! I’ve been lucky enough to have several films premiere at Tribeca and it’s always so exciting. Being able to show your finished project to a festival of your home town peers… amazing.

 

Tell us about The Seeding. How did you get involved in the project?  

I had worked with Producer Brian Etting previously on a feature called Tuscaloosa. He sent me The Seeding. I found the script to be fresh and [director] Barney Clay to be absolutely fascinating. I wanted the opportunity to work with him and I’m glad I did.

 

Still from The Seeding

 

Do you as a casting director approach the horror genre any differently than other genres when looking to cast certain roles? Some of these characters, I imagine, have to be scary! The official description of the film from Tribeca calls it a “stone-cold nightmare!”

In general, no, it’s the same process. We start by working with the rest of the creative team to get a good understanding of the world we are looking to create. Then Casting goes to try to populate that world and find the talent who will tell our story. It’s the world and the characters of horror that are different, not the process.

 

Many of the characters in The Seeding are children and teens. Is your approach to casting young actors any different in how you approach working with adults?

I love casting kids, they are constantly changing and growing (literally and figuratively) and it’s so important to keep seeing them and who they are at this moment. I also find “child actors” to be incredibly professional. They are a joy.

 

Still from The Seeding

 

What was your favorite moment working on the film? And the biggest challenge?

Casting our female lead was definitely a challenge. It’s very easy to see her simply as a victim. We are so lucky to have the incredibly Kate Lyn Sheil.

 

What’s next for you?

City On Fire is currently airing on Apple TV+ and we are in the middle of Season 2 of Severance.

 

Connect with Bess Fifer on Instagram @castingbybess and her website www.fifercasting.com.

PUBLISHED BY

Katie Chambers

Katie Chambers Katie Chambers is the Senior Director of Community & Public Relations at New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT). She is also a regular contributing writer for From Day One, an outlet focused on innovations in HR. She serves on othe Board of Directors of the New Jersey State Federation of Women's Clubs and is a freelance writer, copyeditor, and digital marketing strategist. Follow her @KatieGChambers.

View all posts by Katie Chambers

Comments are closed

Related Posts

Maria Miles Previews the 2025 New York Greek Film Expo

As former NYWIFT Board Member Maria C. Miles finishes up her first year as President of the Hellenic Film Society, we sat down with her on the eve of the New York Greek Film Expo to discuss her time with the organization and what we have to look forward to at this year’s fest. Mary is the founder of an entertainment law practice with offices in New York. Maria’s practice focuses on all areas of entertainment law, including film (narrative and documentary), music, literary publishing, and digital media. She has represented award-winning producers, directors, writers, actors, television hosts, multi-platinum recording artists, and corporations in the fashion and sports industries related to their entertainment matters. Maria is the Executive Director of the Hellenic Films Society, USA, and served as Secretary of the board of New York Women in Film & Television. She continues to serve NYWIFT as their legal counsel. She is also an Adjunct Professor at the Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema and the School for Visual Arts, as well as an Adjunct Instructor at NYU Tisch School of the Arts.

READ MORE

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Olivia Fouser

Welcome to NYWIFT, Olivia Fouser! Olivia Fouser is an award-winning queer writer and director. She's been featured in multiple LGBTQ film festivals such as the LGBTQ+ Toronto & Los Angeles Film Festival and the Seattle Queer Film Festival with her short film The Last Gay In Indiana, and has won numerous awards for her queer Western screenplay Blood On The Saddle. With her work, Olivia aspires to bring diversity both to the screen and behind the camera, and to make viewers laugh, cry, and, in seeing a story or character that's rarely seen on screen, hopefully widen their worldview.

READ MORE

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Amy Heller

Welcome to NYWIFT, Amy Heller! Amy is the co-founder of Milestone Films, an award-winning film restoration and distribution company dedicated to rediscovering lost and overlooked films. After fleeing academia, Amy found her passion in the independent film world and co-founded Milestone with her partner Dennis Doros in 1990. For 35 years, their mission has been to restore forgotten cinema, particularly films by and about women, people of color, Native Americans, and LGBTQ+ community members. Amy spoke to us about her journey in film distribution, the evolution of the industry over four decades, and her exciting upcoming transition as she passes Milestone to the next generation.

READ MORE

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Courtney DeStefano

Welcome to NYWIFT, Courtney DeStefano! Courtney grew up in a small town, where she spent hours devouring old movies and pouring through every indie-film magazine she could get her hands on. She graduated with a BFA in Film & Television from NYU Tisch School of the Arts before embarking on her editing career where she worked with clients like CBS, Bravo, Showtime, BET, NatGeo, Discovery & TLC. She’s spent the last several years dividing her time between chasing after her three young sons and hiding in her home office to write. Her work has been recognized by the Los Angeles International Screenplay Awards, PANO Network, Hollyshorts and the PAGE Awards, among others. In our interview, Courtney discussed her small-town inspirations, how editing informs her writing and directing, and her latest short film.   

READ MORE
JOIN OUR NEWSLETTER
css.php