Pioneering Portland filmmaker Penny Allen is back in town for the U.S. premiere of her latest film “Pushing Back the Bad” at the Hollywood Theater, this Saturday, March 7th.
Penny’s roots as a Portland activist led to her writing, directing, and producing her first two features: “Property”, a Sundance Festival prize winner, in 1979 and “Paydirt” in 1981. She moved from Portland to Sisters Oregon soon after, and then to Paris, France where she worked on environmental issues. She returned to making movies with “The Soldier’s Tale” in 2007 and “Late for My Mother’s Funeral” in 2013. Her first novel This Rescue Thing came out in 2024. “Pushing Back the Bad” is her fifth feature film and first shot entirely on location in France.
We’re fortunate to have Penny with us to preview Saturday’s screening.