Waiting for Guffman (1997)

Penelope Lawson is a screenwriter, director, and producer hailing from New York City. We chat about her time at NYU's graduate film school, the culture shock of moving to Los Angeles in 2017, learning the ropes of founding her own production company, her debut feature film, 1 Night in San Diego, and her most recent short, The Dinner Party, Los Angeles's fine dining scene, films that stoke nostalgia, and the changes she's witnessed in the film industry over the last five years.

Jeremy Lawrence: It might be interesting to note that The Dinner Party was the first film I reviewed for Incluvie.

Penelope Lawson: Oh, that's so funny.

Jeremy Lawrence: The Miami Short Film Fest was going on the week I started. The name, The Dinner Party, just stood out to me because I think dinner parties are a great setting for awkward entertainment. I just gravitated to the name and knew nothing about it.

But before we get into the film, I wanted to ask about the beginning of your film career. I saw that you graduated from NYU's graduate film school with an MFA in directing. I was at NYU for cinema studies undergrad. How was your time at NYU and how did it prepare you for working in film full-time in Los Angeles?