Pat Palinkas became the first woman to play professional American football when she joined the Orlando Panthers on the field in 1970. An elementary school teacher, she attracted national attention, but her achievement later became largely forgotten. Director Ashley Brandon tells her story in the 12-minute documentary Panther Pat.
Brandon discovered Palinkas through a brief mention in a book about Connecticut football history. The filmmakers contacted Palinkas by letter, and work began in 2021 after she replied. The film combines interviews and historical material with scenes featuring dolls and toys.
These scenes use stop-motion animation, in which objects are moved slightly between photographs to create movement. The idea grew from Palinkas’s memory of being told that girls played with dolls when she wanted to play football. Brandon hopes the playful approach will also appeal to people who are not sports fans.
Palinkas died in the summer of 2025, before the film was completed, but her family has welcomed it. Panther Pat won the documentary short Grand Jury Prize at the 2026 Slamdance Film Festival. Through Palinkas’s example and images of women in different sporting roles, Brandon hopes young viewers will recognise a place for themselves in sport.
