Interview:
Rachael Connelly Waxler,
Emalee Arroyo,
directors,
"Miss Snake Charmer"
Directed by Emalee Arroyo and the Austin-based Rachael Connelly Waxler, the documentary Miss Snake Charmer follows the trials and tribulations of the 2017 contestants of the annual beauty pageant at the World’s Largest Rattlesnake Roundup in Sweetwater. The pageant is open to young area women, who not just compete for the title of Miss Snake Charmer but also for scholarship money. Held since 1958, the roundup is part of the city’s efforts to control its rattlesnake population. Farmers, ranchers and hunters bring an estimated 6,000 pounds of captured rattlesnake to the roundup fairgrounds for display and sale. The roundup, though, has been accused of animal cruelty by national media and PETA for activities that include requiring Miss Snake Charmer contestants to decapitate and skin snakes. Miss Snake Charmer, which marks the directorial debut of Emalee Arroyo and the Austin-based Rachael Connelly Waxler, will be available Jan. 21 on iTunes and Blu-Ray.
Aired: January 16, 2020 Web sites: https://www.misssnakecharmermovie.com https://www.facebook.com/MissSnakeCharmerMovie/ |
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