Penny Allen: The Godmother of Indie Film in Portland

For half a century, Penny Allen has been making fiercely independent films about ordinary people in extraordinary situations.  Beginning in Portland in the 1970's and recruiting such young artists as Eric Edwards, Gus Van Sant, and Henk Pander, Penny directed the seminal feature films Property and Paydirt.  Moving to France in 1991, she covered issues of global conflict with The Soldier's Tale and Late To My Mother's Funeral.

During a visit to Portland, Penny sits down with S.W. Conser to talk about her new film Pushing Past the Bad, a story set in a Mediterranean village where an American woman meets and falls in love with a local man involved in petty crime.