Skwigly presents Animation One-To-Ones featuring Mel Cionco in conversation with Bret Parker and Pete Barma, discussing their Oscar-shortlisted animated short film Pete.

With over 25 years of experience at Pixar Animation Studios, Bret has animated on such animated feature film classics as Finding Nemo, The Incredibles and Ratatouille, moving on to Animation Tools Lead on projects including Brave, Monsters University and Inside Out. Following her recent feature length documentary Through The Windows, Bret more recently directed the animated short Pete which has screened at such prestigious events as Tribeca and Annecy, and is based on the mid-70s gender identity journey – via Little League Baseball – of partner Pete Barma, co-writer and exec producer of the film. A simultaneously personal yet crucially relatable story of being true to oneself, and the tremendous value of familial and outside support, Pete was produced through the pair’s own Artfarm Productions, “an artist collaborative dedicated to bringing diverse stories from underepresented voices to light”.

Pete is an animated short film based on a true story about gender identity, Little League Baseball, the people who inspire change by trying to be themselves, and the superheroes who allow that change to happen. The setting is 1975 Winterpark, Florida where we meet Pete – an 8 year old girl with a dream of playing baseball just like all the other boys she plays streetball with on the cul-de-sac. We quickly learn in Pete’s own words that her name isn’t actually Pete, “just the name I gave myself.” But for Pete, her name is everything. Somehow, as Pete, it changed the rules. She never had to wear dresses, and she could ride BMX bikes and build forts in the muck and even spend the night with all the other boys at slumber parties. And on this day, as she marches up to the Little League registration table, she hopes it gives her a chance to play baseball…

Interview conducted by Mel Cionco
Produced, edited and presented by Ben Mitchell