Pete's Valve

Prudence and Roger meet for the first time. After asking him a series of unusual qualifying questions, we see them begin a temporary "relationship”, leading to the saving of a life and the ending of another. Pete’s Valve is a kooky, dark comedy about duty under duress, missed connections, and the metaphorical, as well as physical placement of the human heart.

  • Katy-May Hudson
    Director
  • Katy-May Hudson
    Writer
  • Samantha Slater
    Producer
    Just Sayin', Sibs, The Lies We Tell
  • Jacquelyn Landgraf
    Key Cast
    "Prudence"
    Uncanny County, Webseries: The Webseries
  • Michael C Freeland
    Key Cast
    "Roger"
    American Bomber, Bar Songs, Shortbus
  • Pam Nasr
    Production Design
    Clams Casino
  • Antonia Colodro
    Director of Photography
    BodyMore, Sleeping Dogs Lie
  • Project Type:
    Short, Student
  • Genres:
    Dark Comedy, Black Comedy, Fantasy, Comedy, Romance, Women, Student
  • Runtime:
    10 minutes 55 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    April 24, 2019
  • Production Budget:
    20,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    Australia, United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.39
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes
Director Biography - Katy-May Hudson

Katy-May is an Australian born, Brooklyn based filmmaker who looks to illuminate female-centric stories through her work.

She is the Founder/Festival Director of The Brooklyn Women's Film Festival, Former Co- Artistic Director of downtown experimental theater collective The New York Neo Futurists, Creative Director of She Said Productions, a recipient of the SVA Alumni Scholarship Award and winner of the Best of Fest award at SVA Theater, NYC. Oh yeah, and she's a new mum.

She has collaborated with artists and organizations such as Youtube TV, Whohaha, New York Women in Film and TV, ART/NY, Funny or Die, SVA Theater, University of Delaware, University of Rhode Island, School of Visual Arts & Hofstra University.

She holds a BA in Journalism from Southern Cross University (Sydney) and a Masters in Directing at The School of Visual Arts (New York).

KM is on the festival circuit with her proof of concept short, Pete’s Valve and in development for a feature film.

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Director Statement

Pete’s Valve is a story I have wanted to tell since 2016, after a conversation I had with my partner about organ donation. I joked that if he were in a tragic accident, I would interview all applicants for his organs until I found the worthiest recipients. A morose topic for most, but something that made us laugh and was thus the springboard for Pete’s Valve, a kooky, dark comedy about a taboo yet important subject, what one’s duty is regarding the metaphorical, as well as physical placement of the human heart.

The story was further refined through working with my screenwriting teacher, Oscar-winning writer of Birdman, Alex Dinelaris. Together we sculpted the script to convey a message about sacrifice and guilt in the face of loss, while playing with comedy and tragedy, both paradoxical and parallel to one another, like all good things.

This story is indelible to whom I am as a storyteller- it incorporates my love of dark comedy, my background in experimental, absurdist theater, and most importantly my desire to tell stories that are centered around women, that are created by women and that celebrate humanist thought … like, the choices folks make with their bodies.

It is my hope that this story can remove some of the heaviness around organ donation to remind people about what a gift it is.

I hope you enjoyed watching Pete’s Valve as much as we enjoyed creating it.

Warmly,
Katy-May Hudson