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The Karens

Welcome to the support group for people named Karen. Believe it or not, there are some people out there who are named Karen. That’s their actual name. People who must walk through their days knowing the very name their parents gave them is now an insult. This film is for them. We’ve all seen angry and entitled ‘Karens’— throwing tantrums on the internet, threatening to call the police on bird-watchers of color, yelling at fast-food workers, making a scene in a Walmart. Many have wondered if, in a time of frustration, we were being too much of a Karen. Join us at your local community center where women named Karen come together to support each other through this cruel twist of fate. A riotous short film from comedian Katie Goodman and the women of the internationally-touring, award-winning, satirical comedy show Broad Comedy. Take a seat, Karen. We’re here for you.

  • Katie Goodman
    Director
    Abortion Road Trip
  • Katie Goodman
    Writer
    Abortion Road Trip
  • Soren Kisiel
    Writer
    Abortion Road Trip
  • Katie Goodman
    Producer
    Abortion Road Trip
  • Soren Kisiel
    Producer
    Abortion Road Trip
  • Katie Goodman
    Key Cast
    "Administrator Karen"
    Don't Come Knocking' (with Sam Shepard)
  • Danielle Cohn
    Key Cast
    "Not-Karen Karen"
  • Aubrey Lace Taylor
    Key Cast
    "Counselor Karen"
  • Tana Sirois
    Key Cast
    "Crying Karen"
  • Molly Kelleher
    Key Cast
    "Phone Filming Karen"
  • Sam Henriques
    DIrector of Photography
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    8 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    November 1, 2022
  • Production Budget:
    2,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • One-Reeler Short Film Competition
    Los Angeles
    United States
    December 31, 2022
    Best Short Film
  • Hollywood Just4Shorts Film and Screenplay Competition
    Los Angeles
    United States
    January 31, 2023
    Best Comedy Short, Best Direction
  • Best Shorts Competition
    La Jolla
    United States
    December 18, 2022
    Best Short Film, Best Direction
  • Los Angeles Short Film Festival
    Los Angeles
    April 15, 2023
    Official Selection
  • Accolade Global Film Competition
    La Jolla
    United States
    February 21, 2023
    Best Direction, Best Short Film
  • New York International Women Festival
    New York
    March 30, 2023
    Semi-Finalist
  • Toronto International Women Film Festival
    Toronto
    February 28, 2023
    Nominee
  • Los Angeles Women in Film Festival
    Los Angeles
    April 27, 2023
    Official Selection
  • Austin Comedy Film Festival
    Austin
    March 26, 2023
    Finalist
  • Los Angeles Comedy Film & Screenplay Festival
    Los Angeles
    January 30, 2023
    Award: Best Performances
  • Southern Shorts
    Georgia
    United States
    March 19, 2023
    Official Selection, Excellence in Acting Danielle Cohn, Excellence in Acting Aubrey Lace Taylor, Excellence in Acting Tana Sirois
  • Los Angeles Short Film Festival
    Los Angeles
    April 15, 2023
    Nominee
  • Los Angeles Comedy Festival
    Los Angeles
    April 13, 2023
    Official Selection
  • Coney Island Film Festival
    Brooklyn
    United States
    May 5, 2023
    NY Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Filmocracy Film Market
    Los Angeles
    United States
    March 29, 2023
    Official Selection
  • Hollywood Comedy Shorts Film Festival
    Los Angeles
    United States
    April 21, 2023
    Best Micro Film Award Finalist
  • Houston Comedy Film Festival
    Houston
    United States
    June 10, 2023
    Official Selection, Best Micro Film
  • Toronto International Women Film Festival
    Toronto
    Canada
    February 28, 2023
    Best Narrative Short Nomination
  • Filmocracy Film Market
    Los Angeles
    United States
    March 29, 2023
    Official Selection
  • Rochester International Film Festival
    Rochester
    United States
    June 8, 2023
    Official Selection
  • Nominee: Golden Pen Script Awards

    April 15, 2023
    Best Short Screenplay
  • Coney Island Film Festival
    Brooklyn
    United States
    May 5, 2023
    Official Selection
  • Big Apple Film Festival and Screenplay Competition
    New York City
    United States
    May 19, 2023
    Finalist: Women Filmmakers, Short Films and TV/Episodic
  • Big Apple AGENTS AND MANAGERS Networking Lab
    New York City
    United States
    May 26, 2023
    Nomination: Best Short Film
  • Brooklyn International Short Awards
    Brooklyn
    United States
    May 30, 2023
    Semi-Finalist: Best Comedy, Best Screenplay, Best Director Best Actress
  • Montreal Independent Film Festival

    May 12, 2023
    Official Selection: Best Narrative Short, Best Direction
  • DC Shorts Film Festival
    Washington DC
    United States
    September 20, 2023
    Official Selection
  • MOM FIlm Fest
    NYC
    United States
    August 28, 2023
    Best Ensemble Nomination
  • Santa Fe International Film Festival
    Santa Fe
    United States
    October 18, 2023
    Official Selection
Distribution Information
  • Katie Goodman
Director Biography - Katie Goodman

Katie Goodman, along with her husband Soren Kisiel (author of The Karens), are the co-writers and co-directors of Broad Comedy, an internationally touring, award-winning, all-women sketch comedy and political satire troupe headlined by Katie, which has garnered millions of views online, had an Off-Broadway run, been showcased at Caroline’s Comedy Club in Times Square, won the Pick-of-the-Fringe Award at the Vancouver Fringe Festival, and was listed as one of the top ten sketch troupes at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland. Broad Comedy has been touring the USA for the last 20 years and has raised over $2,000,000 for progressive feminist causes through their comedy shows. Katie has been seen on Showtime’s The Green Room With Paul Provenza, and Impractical Jokers (and yes, she was in on the joke). Katie and Soren were nominated for the White House Project’s Emerging Artists Award, and for the MacArthur Foundation's Fellowship for their unique work in theater.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

The concept of a ‘Karen’ has come to carry so much cultural complexity. The idea of a ‘Karen,’ of course, began as an important label for recognizing a very specific brand of weaponized entitlement and racial bullying. It made sense that it was a woman’s name, as it was specifically the “You’re threatening me” imagined-victimhood that was being called out: a white woman calls the police on a Black man, saying she’s being threatened and knowing that authorities will ‘protect’ her.
But over time, and many, many memes later, this idea morphed into a more general calling out of the “Let me speak to your manager” tantrums—and so, as an ordinary woman’s name has become a generalized insult for obnoxious privilege, it’s also evolved into being uncomfortably anti-woman. Do white men not also need to examine their wielding of entitlement, racial or otherwise? Are we really going to call them Male-Karens?
But through it all… I can’t help but feel sorry for my friend Karen. That's her name. She’s a very nice person. You’d like her.
—Katie Goodman, Brooklyn, NYC