Other Worlds Austin 2018 - The Adventures of Penny Patterson
High school senior Penny Patterson faces growing obstacles to winning the science fair after Steve, her lab partner and boyfriend, becomes a superhero overnight.
Interview with Writer/Director Stephanie Donnelly
Watch The Adventures of Penny Patterson here:
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
I had the idea for The Adventures of Penny Patterson for several years. I grew up reading comic books and watching superhero movies/TV shows. Although I loved them, I became frustrated seeing the same tropes repeatedly appear with female love interests. While there are some exceptions, the majority of love interests are simply damsels in distress who do not contribute much to the plot. They typically exist to further the male character’s arc and rarely have arcs of their own. I decided to make this film as my NYU Graduate film thesis because I thought the superhero’s girlfriend deserved to finally have her own story told.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
In addition to being a critique of the superhero genre, The Adventures of Penny Patterson is also a fun story with interesting characters and unique visuals.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
At its core, this film is about a girl stuck in an unhealthy relationship. As someone who hasn’t always fit in, Penny needs to find her own identity and discover who she is outside of her boyfriend. I think her character journey is both universal and personal. Steve was inspired by many of my friend’s ex-boyfriends. As a result, women can often relate to Penny’s interactions with him.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
When I was developing the script, I kept getting feedback that the superhero’s story couldn’t be in the background since that was the “real” story. Although I found those comments frustrating, I continued to receive them. Finally, my NYU thesis advisor translated that criticism for me. She explained that the superhero’s story was currently more interesting than Penny’s, so I had to make her story more interesting than his. Originally, her science fair project was pretty straightforward and didn’t contain any sci-fi elements. Because of my professor’s note though, I created a mystery for Penny to solve, which immediately made the audience more invested in her.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
Our feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Women particularly relate to the film since Steve reminds them of their ex-boyfriends. For instance, there’s a scene where Steve lectures Penny to not eat Twizzlers. Women constantly tell me that they love that part because men often tell them what to eat. Despite the film’s outlandish premise, viewers find its details authentic.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
We haven’t really gotten any negative feedback. However, more men have liked the film than we were anticipating. We were expecting our audience base to be predominantly women, but our fans so far have been evenly split.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
We would love to continue building our audience and sparking dialogue about the depiction of women in film.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
All of the above. Any help to get this film seen by more people would be appreciated.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
We’d like the audience to rethink how women are typically portrayed in superhero stories.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Can a woman have a story outside of a male character?
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
I wrote a one-hour pilot script based on The Adventures of Penny Patterson that recently was accepted into the Second Round of the Austin Film Festival’s Script Competition and is currently a Quarterfinalist for the Screencraft Pilot Launch Competition. Our producer Ria Tobaccowala is in post-production on Freedom Shadow, a new short film that she wrote and directed. Ajna Jai, who plays Penny, is developing a web series based on her experiences managing her family’s Indian restaurant Pondicheri.
Interview: November 2018
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
The Adventures of Penny Patterson
High school senior Penny Patterson faces growing obstacles to winning the science fair after Steve, her lab partner and boyfriend, becomes a superhero overnight.
Length: 19 minutes
Director: Stephanie Donnelly
Producer: Ria Tobaccowala, Christopher Campbell-Orrock
Writer: Stephanie Donnelly
About the writer, director and producer:
STEPHANIE DONNELLY (writer/director) received her MFA in Filmmaking from NYU Tisch School of the Arts. The Adventures of Penny Patterson was her thesis film. Her short films have screened at the Palm Springs International ShortFest, the Cleveland International Film Festival, and San Diego Comic-Con, among others.
RIA TOBACCOWALA (producer) is currently pursuing an MFA in Filmmaking from NYU Tisch School of the Arts and an MBA from the Stern School of Business. At NYU, she has produced eight short films. Ria is a grant recipient of the New Hollywood Emerging Voices program and member of the Producers Guild of America Student Program.
CHRISTOPHER CAMPBELL-ORROCK (producer) is a Los Angeles-based producer and dramaturg. He currently works at the television and film studio Media Res. Before moving to LA, Chris worked as a freelance director in NYC and as dramaturg to playwright Ayad Akhtar.
Key cast: Ajna Jai, Austin Cauldwell, Bryan Burton, Juliet Brett
Looking for: producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists
Facebook: @pennypattersonmovie
Twitter: @pennypattmovie
Instagram: @pennypattersonmovie
Website: www.pennypattersonmovie.com
Funders: Seed & Spark
Made in association with: NYU
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? The Adventures of Penny Patterson will be screening next at Other Worlds Austin on Sunday, December 9th at 12pm at Flix Brewhouse (2200 S Interstate 35, Suite B1, Round Rock, TX 78681).