Experiencing Interruptions?

Little Red

Regan and Barbara’s two-person puppetry troupe is unraveling at the edges. On opening night, their strained interpersonal dynamic jumps from behind-the-scenes tension to in-front-of-the curtain drama as they prepare to present their newest work. While performing their dream-like adaptation of Little Red Riding Hood, fiction and reality intertwines as the two young women are magically transported into the strange and surreal world of their puppet show.

Little Red is a short film that combines puppets and live actors to re-imagine the classic fairy tale that you thought you knew as a new story about power, transformation and choosing one’s own path.

  • Laura Lechner
    Director
    An Odyssey, Kim, Cherry Apple
  • David Hanzal
    Director
  • Laura Lechner
    Writer
  • David Hanzal
    Writer
  • Laura Lechner
    Producer
  • David Hanzal
    Producer
  • Parker Sera
    Key Cast
    "Barbara"
  • angela olson
    Key Cast
    "Regan"
  • Allison Witham
    Key Cast
    "Sam"
  • Joe Valenzuela
    Director of Photography
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    12 minutes 38 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    January 25, 2018
  • Production Budget:
    5,000 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
  • Austin Spotlight Film Festival
    Austin, TX
    United States
  • NewFilmmakers NY
    New York, NY
    United States
    August 1, 2018
  • Artists' Forum Festival of the Moving Image
    New York, NY
    United States
    October 12, 2018
    Finalist - Best Director
  • New York Short Film Festival
    New York
    United States
    November 3, 2018
  • FilmNorth Cinema Loung
    Minneapolis
    United States
  • Katra Sidebar Edition
    Brooklyn
    United States
    March 16, 2019
Director Biography - Laura Lechner, David Hanzal

Laura Lechner (she/her) is a film director, editor, and producer. In her work, she strives to find the poetry in everyday existence; she’s drawn to stories that touch on identity, intimacy, love, and obsession. Currently living and working in NYC, Laura grew up in Montana, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, and she is committed to giving voice to narratives that we don’t often see on screen. Laura also dabbles in live performance, puppetry, and music, and often centers her films around these different mediums. She has directed several short films. “Little Red,” her most recent short, is a collaboration with theatre artist David Hanzal, and it has been screened at the New York Short Film Festival, NewFilmmakers NY, the Artists Forum Festival of the Moving Image (where Laura was a finalist for Best Director), FilmNorth’s Cinema Lounge, and the Austin Spotlight Film Festival. Laura is a member of Filmshop, a New York-based collective of independent filmmakers committed to developing new work through peer support and collaboration.

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Director Statement

In my work, I strive to find the poetry in everyday existence. I'm drawn to stories that touch on identity, intimacy, love, and obsession. I also dabble in live performance, puppetry, and music, and am always seeking collaborative experiences with other artists.

"Little Red" is a short film that features both actors and puppets. The film contextualizes the puppetry as a show performed by two women; by showing their interactions before and after the performance, the film subtly draw parallels between their relationship and the story that they are telling. This revisionist retelling of “Little Red Riding Hood” explores and explodes the themes buried within the familiar children's story: Can children (or all people) only achieve happiness if they succumb to the approval of adult standards of success? Why do we punish people for “straying from the path”?