Pat Palinkas was an elementary school teacher who made football history in 1970. Playing for the Orlando Panthers, she became the first woman to play professionally. Although her achievement attracted national attention, her story later became largely forgotten.
Director Ashley Brandon brings that story to the screen in “Panther Pat,” a 12-minute documentary. The film combines interviews with Palinkas and historical material with scenes featuring dolls and toys. These scenes use stop-motion animation, in which objects are moved slightly between pictures to create movement.
The dolls connect directly to Palinkas’s childhood: when she wanted to play football, she was told that girls played with dolls. Brandon discovered her story through a brief mention in a book about Connecticut football. The filmmakers contacted Palinkas by letter, and work began in 2021.
Palinkas died in the summer of 2025, several months before the film was completed. Her family supports the documentary, which Brandon hopes will help young viewers imagine themselves in football. “Panther Pat” won the documentary short Grand Jury Prize at the 2026 Slamdance Film Festival. It also screened at Tribeca and qualified for Oscar consideration.
