First Time Female Director

With First Time Female Director, Chelsea Peretti wears all the hats. Making her directorial debut, the comedian is also on hand as writer and producer, and she leads a hilarious, star-studded cast as Sam, a playwright working for a small local theater in Glendale. When the theater’s director is fired for inappropriate behavior, Sam is thrust into the leadership role, where she quickly discovers that being a director may be a lot more challenging than she originally thought. Wanting to stage her dream production, a rural drama set in the South, Sam finds a bevy of issues (including a recalcitrant cast) awaiting her and threatening her latest work. Filtered through Peretti’s unique, wry perspective, First Time Female Director is an off-kilter, hilarious, but genuinely heartfelt tribute to the theater and joy of performance. Aided by a fantastic cast that includes the likes of Megan Mullally, Blake Anderson, Megan Stalter, and Kate Berlant (plus cameos that shouldn’t be spoiled), Chelsea Peretti’s first time out as a director is a memorable one. (Tribeca Film Festival)