Party Pants: An Interview with Trinette Faint

Please tell us about your artistic background. What made you fall in love with the world of cinema? Tell us about your career and your projects up until Party Pants.

Originally from Joliet, Illinois, I began my creative career as a teenage model in Chicago.

Modeling was my first introduction to storytelling, understanding how to create a space or scene, holding the viewer’s attention, etc. Over the years, modeling led to acting, which led to me wanting to tell my own stories, so I began to write. After years of learning the craft of screenwriting and finding my voice, I ultimately wrote Party Pants. I grew up an only child and my mom would encourage me to do things on my own, like going to see movies if my friends were not available. Films showed me other cities and places I otherwise would never have seen in my midwestern town, and ignited the desire in me to want to create my own worlds one day.

Which artists influenced and inspired you? Tell us about your inspirations.

I am inspired by Sharon Horgan, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Michaela Coel, and Issa Rae. I admire how these women have built their own lane and create such compelling worlds. They are incredibly talented as writers, actors, producers, and directors.

What are the themes/issues you try to reflect in your works? What, in your opinion, is the most important quality of a film/script?

I am partial to romantic comedies and dramas, but the characters are more important than the issue or theme. Most of my stories are written from the point of view of a Black woman as the protagonist, driving the narrative. Unfortunately, this is still rare, so I try to tell our stories as prosperous vibrant women, out in the world, whose backstories are not rooted in stereotypical traumas.

Since you are also a screenwriter, please tell us about your creative process. How do you approach the subject and decide on the details for the project? When approaching a new project, do you begin with the thematic idea, an issue you want to reflect in your work, or a storyline?

My approach to a story is to get down whatever has been gnawing at me. Each story has a different process and each one is dependent on what story I feel I need to tell at that time. I generally begin with the storyline and begin to write. From there, the themes and issues take shape.

Please tell us about the production and your experiences of making Party Pants. What made you want to tell this story?

I had a similar experience as my protagonist, Fiona. I had a pair of pants that no longer fit as well as they did the year before. Unlike her though, I do not have children and was not dealing with the existential crisis she is dealing with. But I did lose my dog Avery, so I did understand her pain of loss, and I used that pain to create the story. The moment I finished the script I knew it was a story I needed to tell because so many women in their mid 50s are going through exactly what Fiona is going through. I knew it would resonate, and it has.

As a filmmaker and an actress, what are some of the challenges of shooting a film while also playing in front of the camera? Tell us about the production and the whole experience.

The biggest challenge was having so much more to focus on than just my performance. As the producer and co-director, there were endless things to contend with, including the intensity of shooting in two days. But it was a great experience and I wouldn’t change a thing.

Tell us about your festival experiences. Have film festivals provided you with the experience and exposure you needed?

The festivals that have honored Party Pants have not only elevated the film and my work as a filmmaker, but have validated what I was trying to convey. The subject matter is testament that Fiona’s plight is universal.

What advice would you give to emerging artists trying to find their own voice?

To tell the stories you want to tell and not concern yourself with what everyone else is doing. Your voice is yours alone and only you can say what you want to say.

Please tell us about your future project(s). What are you working on?

I’m currently developing a limited series called Collette’s Caleb, adapted from my novel of the same name, and a feature called Shotgun. Collette’s Caleb is a romantic comedy set in Paris and New York and Shotgun is a romantic comedy feature set in Paris and Montpellier. I’ve been at Cannes pitching them both to really great response and am excited for them to move into the production stage one day.