Hollywood's Mermaid: The Esther Williams Story
Millerton, New York | Film Short
Documentary, Biography
From swimming champion to Hollywood icon, Esther Williams was one of the most famous actresses of the 1940's and 50's yet her story has been all but forgotten. This short documentary dives into the incredible life of one of the most over-looked and under-appreciated women in film history.
Hollywood's Mermaid: The Esther Williams Story
Millerton, New York | Film Short
Documentary, Biography
1 Campaigns | New York, United States
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This campaign raised $8,050 for post-production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
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From swimming champion to Hollywood icon, Esther Williams was one of the most famous actresses of the 1940's and 50's yet her story has been all but forgotten. This short documentary dives into the incredible life of one of the most over-looked and under-appreciated women in film history.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
“Hollywood’s Mermaid: The Esther Williams Story” is a 20-minute archival documentary that chronicles the remarkable life and work of Esther Williams. Through rarely seen archival footage and interviews we follow Esther from a 16-year-old Olympic hopeful and swimming sensation to a 90-year-old Hollywood icon. But this is not your typical hagiography and Esther was not your average Hollywood starlet: she was a record-breaking championship swimmer; she was a survivor of sexual assault and gender discrimination; she was a brilliant, successful, and groundbreaking entrepreneur; she was a proud mother to 3; and she was the dedicated godmother to the sport of synchronized swimming. By exploring Esther’s dazzling and picture-perfect onscreen persona and contrasting it with her often chaotic life behind closed doors viewers will be able to see the true Esther Williams for the very first time. Hollywood's Mermaid takes a deep dive into the unbelievable life of a woman who left an indelible mark on both the pool and the silver screen: the late great Esther Williams.
WHY ESTHER / WHY NOW?
During the 1940s and 50s - Hollywood’s Golden Age and the dawn of Television - Esther Williams became one of the world’s most successful and recognizable actresses with her raw swimming talent, her steadfast determination, and her unbelievable media savvy. At a time when women were expected to be little more than house makers, Esther developed her own film genre: the aqua-musical! As post-WWII America was still reeling from the aftermath of the war, Esther's playful and fantastical aqua-musicals were the escape the country needed, evidenced by their nation-wide success at the box office. Within the challenging and often horrific inner-workings of Hollywood, Esther was somehow able to carve out a singularly unique career for herself that remains unmatched in popular culture today.
With representation and inclusivity at the forefront of cultural conversations, Esther Williams' story is as relevant now as it's ever been. While Hollywood - and the country - continue to grapple with issues of gender equality and equity, Esther's impressive career serves as a reminder that established systems and barriers can be challenged and broken. We need more inspiring stories of trailblazing American women and Esther is a prime example.
Additionally, as the "celebrity documentary" has become commonplace, the Esther Williams story is a glaring omission. Given Esther's countless contributions to swimming, cinema, and culture, a documentary celebrating Williams is long overdue. Esther deserves a documentary, and the world deserves to (re)discover Esther Williams.
STATUS / TIMELINE
We currently have a 20-minute fine cut of the film and are aiming to complete post-production later this summer. Our goal is to finish the documentary in the coming months and have a distribution plan in place by the end of 2025 or the beginning of 2026. We're so close to the finish line but a few crucial and costly tasks remain:
- Final archival licensing and music clearance
- Color grading and sound mix
- Marketing & Outreach / Festival Submissions
With your help, we plan to complete post-production by August 2025 and premiere the film in late 2025 or early 2026.
BUDGET
We’ve come this far on sweat, passion, and personal investment — but we need one last push. Your contributions will directly support:
Archival Footage & Music Licensing: $5,000
Color Correction & Sound Mix: $2,000
Marketing & Outreach / Festival Submission Fees: $1,000
TOTAL GOAL: $8,000
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Archival Footage Licensing & Music Clearance
Costs $5,000
Archival documentaries are a costly endeavor because of licensing fees and clearances. This is our biggest hurdle to completing the film.
Color Grading & Sound Mix
Costs $2,000
We want to make Esther look and sound as good as possible with a professional color grade and sound mix.
Marketing & Outreach / Festival Submission Fees
Costs $1,000
In order to make an impact and share Esther's story with as many people as possible we'll need to invest in marketing and outreach.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Brian Gersten // Director, Producer, Editor
Brian Gersten is an award-winning documentary filmmaker based in the Hudson Valley. His films have gone on to screen in over ten countries and at dozens of notable film festivals around the globe. Brian's most recent short documentary “Balloon Boy” won Best Short Director at Melbourne Documentary Film Festival in 2023, and went on to receive a Vimeo Staff Pick in 2024. Much of Brian's work can be seen on the likes of PBS, Amazon Prime, Kanopy, and The Atlantic. His films have been written about and featured in Forbes, Film Inquiry, The AV Club, and CBS Sunday Morning.
In addition to directing short documentaries, Brian also works as a feature documentary editor. In 2019, Brian edited the feature documentary “Searching for Mr. Rugoff,” which is 100% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and currently streaming on the Criterion Channel. His feature documentary editing credits include the Netflix documentary “Radical Wolfe,” the Peacock documentary “Enter The Slipstream,” and most recently "Why We Dream" which premiered at Tribeca Film Festival in 2025. Brian has also taught filmmaking courses and workshops at Rutgers University, Northwestern University, and the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies.
Michaela Owens // Producer & Archival Researcher
For most of her life, Michaela Owens has been dedicated to researching, sharing, and watching classic Hollywood cinema. After receiving a BA in Communication and Culture from Indiana University, Michaela went on to earn her master’s, specializing in Cinema and Media Studies with a thesis on the star text and career of champion swimmer-turned-movie star Esther Williams. Encompassing such materials as Williams's films and TV work, fan magazines, interviews, and various ephemera, the thesis is a rare deep dive into the entirety of the actress's career and argues for why Williams was such a destabilizing force on and off the screen.
In addition to her work on Williams, Michaela is the programming and audience development manager for Indiana University Cinema, one of the most prestigious arthouse cinemas in the nation. She was the internal project manager and editor for the book Indiana University Cinema: The New Model—a lavishly illustrated look at the history of the cinema that also features exclusive interviews with such filmmakers as Roger Corman, Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, and John Waters, plus an afterword from actor Jonathan Banks—and has published over 70 articles for IU Cinema's blog Establishing Shot, as well as a piece on directors Dorothy Arzner and Ida Lupino for the Ryder Magazine.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
“Hollywood’s Mermaid: The Esther Williams Story” is a 20-minute archival documentary that chronicles the remarkable life and work of Esther Williams. Through rarely seen archival footage and interviews we follow Esther from a 16-year-old Olympic hopeful and swimming sensation to a 90-year-old Hollywood icon. But this is not your typical hagiography and Esther was not your average Hollywood starlet: she was a record-breaking championship swimmer; she was a survivor of sexual assault and gender discrimination; she was a brilliant, successful, and groundbreaking entrepreneur; she was a proud mother to 3; and she was the dedicated godmother to the sport of synchronized swimming. By exploring Esther’s dazzling and picture-perfect onscreen persona and contrasting it with her often chaotic life behind closed doors viewers will be able to see the true Esther Williams for the very first time. Hollywood's Mermaid takes a deep dive into the unbelievable life of a woman who left an indelible mark on both the pool and the silver screen: the late great Esther Williams.
WHY ESTHER / WHY NOW?
During the 1940s and 50s - Hollywood’s Golden Age and the dawn of Television - Esther Williams became one of the world’s most successful and recognizable actresses with her raw swimming talent, her steadfast determination, and her unbelievable media savvy. At a time when women were expected to be little more than house makers, Esther developed her own film genre: the aqua-musical! As post-WWII America was still reeling from the aftermath of the war, Esther's playful and fantastical aqua-musicals were the escape the country needed, evidenced by their nation-wide success at the box office. Within the challenging and often horrific inner-workings of Hollywood, Esther was somehow able to carve out a singularly unique career for herself that remains unmatched in popular culture today.
With representation and inclusivity at the forefront of cultural conversations, Esther Williams' story is as relevant now as it's ever been. While Hollywood - and the country - continue to grapple with issues of gender equality and equity, Esther's impressive career serves as a reminder that established systems and barriers can be challenged and broken. We need more inspiring stories of trailblazing American women and Esther is a prime example.
Additionally, as the "celebrity documentary" has become commonplace, the Esther Williams story is a glaring omission. Given Esther's countless contributions to swimming, cinema, and culture, a documentary celebrating Williams is long overdue. Esther deserves a documentary, and the world deserves to (re)discover Esther Williams.
STATUS / TIMELINE
We currently have a 20-minute fine cut of the film and are aiming to complete post-production later this summer. Our goal is to finish the documentary in the coming months and have a distribution plan in place by the end of 2025 or the beginning of 2026. We're so close to the finish line but a few crucial and costly tasks remain:
- Final archival licensing and music clearance
- Color grading and sound mix
- Marketing & Outreach / Festival Submissions
With your help, we plan to complete post-production by August 2025 and premiere the film in late 2025 or early 2026.
BUDGET
We’ve come this far on sweat, passion, and personal investment — but we need one last push. Your contributions will directly support:
Archival Footage & Music Licensing: $5,000
Color Correction & Sound Mix: $2,000
Marketing & Outreach / Festival Submission Fees: $1,000
TOTAL GOAL: $8,000
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Archival Footage Licensing & Music Clearance
Costs $5,000
Archival documentaries are a costly endeavor because of licensing fees and clearances. This is our biggest hurdle to completing the film.
Color Grading & Sound Mix
Costs $2,000
We want to make Esther look and sound as good as possible with a professional color grade and sound mix.
Marketing & Outreach / Festival Submission Fees
Costs $1,000
In order to make an impact and share Esther's story with as many people as possible we'll need to invest in marketing and outreach.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Brian Gersten // Director, Producer, Editor
Brian Gersten is an award-winning documentary filmmaker based in the Hudson Valley. His films have gone on to screen in over ten countries and at dozens of notable film festivals around the globe. Brian's most recent short documentary “Balloon Boy” won Best Short Director at Melbourne Documentary Film Festival in 2023, and went on to receive a Vimeo Staff Pick in 2024. Much of Brian's work can be seen on the likes of PBS, Amazon Prime, Kanopy, and The Atlantic. His films have been written about and featured in Forbes, Film Inquiry, The AV Club, and CBS Sunday Morning.
In addition to directing short documentaries, Brian also works as a feature documentary editor. In 2019, Brian edited the feature documentary “Searching for Mr. Rugoff,” which is 100% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and currently streaming on the Criterion Channel. His feature documentary editing credits include the Netflix documentary “Radical Wolfe,” the Peacock documentary “Enter The Slipstream,” and most recently "Why We Dream" which premiered at Tribeca Film Festival in 2025. Brian has also taught filmmaking courses and workshops at Rutgers University, Northwestern University, and the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies.
Michaela Owens // Producer & Archival Researcher
For most of her life, Michaela Owens has been dedicated to researching, sharing, and watching classic Hollywood cinema. After receiving a BA in Communication and Culture from Indiana University, Michaela went on to earn her master’s, specializing in Cinema and Media Studies with a thesis on the star text and career of champion swimmer-turned-movie star Esther Williams. Encompassing such materials as Williams's films and TV work, fan magazines, interviews, and various ephemera, the thesis is a rare deep dive into the entirety of the actress's career and argues for why Williams was such a destabilizing force on and off the screen.
In addition to her work on Williams, Michaela is the programming and audience development manager for Indiana University Cinema, one of the most prestigious arthouse cinemas in the nation. She was the internal project manager and editor for the book Indiana University Cinema: The New Model—a lavishly illustrated look at the history of the cinema that also features exclusive interviews with such filmmakers as Roger Corman, Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, and John Waters, plus an afterword from actor Jonathan Banks—and has published over 70 articles for IU Cinema's blog Establishing Shot, as well as a piece on directors Dorothy Arzner and Ida Lupino for the Ryder Magazine.