Penny Allen, born in Portland, Oregon, discovered theater and created several shows in English and French before turning to cinema, where, still in Portland, she wrote, directed and produced two features, Property and Paydirt. She then lived in Central Oregon for nine years before moving to Paris, where she first worked on environmental issues and published two books, one on the environment, Metaphors for Change, the other a memoir, A Geography of Saints. She then returned to cinema with The Soldier’s Tale, Late for My Mother’s Funeral (in French and Arabic), and The Didier Connection. She has lived in France for thirty years and is working on a new movie.