Hey y’all,
I had an absolutely delightful time talking to filmmaker Penny Lane about her creative life, making art with kids, owls, and the agony and the ecstasy of making movies.
Her newest movie is streaming on HBO Max on Christmas Day. It’s called Happy and You Know It and it’s about the wild world of children’s music and the people who make it. Here’s the trailer:
And here’s what I wrote about it in a previous letter:
The great Penny Lane sent me a sneak peek of her new documentary about kids’ music, Happy and You Know It, which premieres on HBO on Christmas Day. (I watched it with my 13-year-old, who was a big fan of Penny’s other music doc, Listening to Kenny G.) I loved seeing Chris Ballew (aka Caspar Babypants) in his PNW element, strumming a 3-string uke in front of a fire and hanging out with his wife, the artist Kate Endle. (I was reminded how much I loved his interview with Chase Jarvis.) I also enjoyed the thoughtful commentary of critics Rob Harvilla and Willa Paskin — I want to listen to their podcasts!
Until Dec. 25, you can pre-game for her new one by watching her 2021 movie, Listening to Kenny G:
Both these movies would make excellent holiday viewing with your friends and family.
Finally, Penny has a new Substack where she’s writing with honesty and humor about what it’s like to make art and documentaries right now. (Maybe start with her recent posts about marketing and making trailers and not getting into Sundance.)
xoxo,
Austin
