Overview

Between 1989 and 1990, photographer Mary Ellen Mark went to India to document the lives of circus performers—a journey that resulted in her book “Indian Circus,” published in 1993. In 1992, Mark and director Martin Bell returned to India to film many of the same performers. The resulting short, THE AMAZING PLASTIC LADY (1995), focuses on Pinky, a ten-year-old acrobat who, like the children in STREETWISE, lives on society’s margins. The film also continued Bell’s work with editor Nancy Baker.