Private Project

Son of a Preacher Man

An 80's coming-of-age story that follows a boy exploring his identity while his drug-dealing, nudist, father converts to extreme Evangelicalism.

  • P.J. Palmer
    Writer
    NORTH STAR, On Cannery Row
  • Project Type:
    Screenplay
  • Genres:
    Drama, Coming of age, LGBTQ+
  • Number of Pages:
    112
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • First-time Screenwriter:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Writer Biography - P.J. Palmer

Growing up in rural Northern California as the eldest of 11 siblings, P.J. spent his childhood exploring abandoned gold mines, redwood forests, and the shores of the Lost Coast with an array of colorful characters including biker gangs, nudist hippie communes, evangelical cults, rodeo bull riders and loggers.

These experiences have all helped to shape the empathy, unblinking truth, humor, and strength found in P.J.’s vision as an artist and has him drawn toward complex and unique storytelling that deeply connects audiences to characters and stories they’ve never considered before.

P.J.’s films include NORTH STAR, an Oscar© qualified short film starring Colman Domingo and Kevin Bacon, which has won more than 50 festival awards.

He is a PAGE Awards finalist, BlueCat Top 5, and Black List Recommended writer. Each of his scripts currently appear on The Black List’s “Top List” and Coverfly’s “The Red List” in the top 1%. He is alumni to the Edinburgh Film Festival Director’s Lab and the Steinbeck Center artist-in-residency program.

He lives in Santa Monica and in New York City with his partner and their two ridiculous tabby cats.

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Writer Statement

I believe that the best arguments in the world won’t change a person’s heart. The only thing that can do that is a good story.

"Son of a Preacher Man" is a story based on my own experiences of being a queer kid growing up in a world hostel to being anything other than straight. Writing it required a truth and vulnerability that was, quite frankly, frightening to expose. While this is based on a true story, my story, it is also fictionalized. Characters are composites and/or renamed.

A mentor of mine, who is a queer pediatrician and published author, told me that one of the best ways to deal with trauma is to write about it - with yourself as the hero - to allow one to have control of one's story. And the re-writing of the story, over and over, is an important part of this healing and resetting of the neuropath ways in the brain. I didn't know all that before I wrote this, but he's not wrong.

I constantly say that as an artist creating something, you need to "know you why". I instinctively knew that I had to get this story out of me. For my own sake, but also, for anyone else who may gain something from it. For that 10 year old gay kid out there who is confused and ashamed and trying to figure life out, this is for them. For those folks who are afraid, who hold hate and condemnation for LGBTQ+ people, this is for them. For all of us who have had shame, self doubt and have made mistakes. This story is for us.

Thank you for reading.