“SNL’s Pat gets reclaimed as trans/nonbinary icon with support from Julia Sweeney in new doc: ‘Pat is sexy’”
— Jillian Sederholm,
“‘SNL’ Star, 65, Honors Her Most Famous Role After a Private Health Battle”
— Erica Gerald Mason,
“…both thoughtful and funny…Seeing how they pick the character apart and put it back together again is never less than riveting. An old adage says it’s the kiss of death to analyze comedy; in this case, doing so offers enlightenment.”
— Mike McGranaghan,
ABOUT THE FILM
LONG SYNOPSIS
WE ARE PAT explores the evolution of gender identity and comedy from the 90s to the present day through the lens of the iconic Saturday Night Live sketch, Its Pat. The film examines Pats origins as a joke rooted in the cultural anxiety of the 90s around gender while drawing striking parallels to todays culture wars around transness and queerness. Trans and non-binary comedians and culture-makers reimagine and rewrite the original Pat sketches, using camp and humor to reclaim and re-envision an iconic character in American comedy. The film explores humor as both a tool of oppression and a radical force for change. Beyond comedy, WE ARE PAT raises complex questions: How does art age? What responsibility does a creator have as cultural values evolve? Can we reclaim narratives that once mocked us, transforming pain into laughter, visibility, and ultimately, our own creations?
A lot of people say, Whats that? Its Pat!
Director Rowan Haber
Writers Hannah Buck, Rowan Haber
Producers Caryn Capotosto, Rowan Haber
Executive Producers Alan Cumming, Adrian Salpeter, Bill & Ruth Ann Harnisch - The Harnisch Foundation, Jenny Raskin, Geralyn White Dreyfous, Pierre Hauser, Rebecca Lichtenfeld, Chandra Jessee, Marci Wiseman, Daniel J. Chalfen, Dawn Bonder, J Winkelried, Eric Kuhn, Beth Levison, Shauna Schmunk, Lilly Wachowski, Lauren Greenfield and Frank Evers, Stuart Ford, Lourdes Diaz and Caroline Libresco
Co-Executive Producers Kelsey Koenig, Eric Szmanda, Kirsten Vangsness, JanaLee Cherneski, Ashlin Hatch, Sam Paige
Co-Producers Ryan Cunningham, Katherine Fisher, Leo DiSantis
Editors Hannah Buck, Alex Bohs
Directors of Photography Christine Ng, Mego Lin
Music Erick del Aguila
Cast Julia Sweeney, Kevin Nealon, Molly Kearney, Abby McEnany, Murray Hill, Nori Reed, Robin Tran, Sabrina Wu, Roz Hernandez, James Tom, Ally Beardsley, River Gallo, Riv Butcher, Grace Freud, April Clark, Ever Mainard, Hayden Johnson, Brontez Purnell, Jules Gill-Peterson
FESTIVALS
2025: Tribeca (World Premiere), Frameline49, Chicago International, IDFA (European Premiere)
AWARDS
Special Jury Mention for New Documentary Director (Tribeca)
AVAILABLE TERRITORIES
The World
EXHIBITION FORMATS
DCP, Digital Download
PRESS KIT
Download Press Kit
AVAILABLE PRESS IMAGES (click to preview)
