Director’s Statement:

It would be great if more people, especially men, saw this film because I know other men question if they are masculine enough or if they fulfill the role of the man in our society, if they feel guilt like “I don’t play on the football team or I don’t make more money than my wife.” But I think there is something in this film that might help them to realize, a man is what you are and what matters is how you feel about yourself and how your family, wife, or partner feels about you. I don’t think this film is going to change humankind, but I do think this film opens up the discussion and makes people realize that men wear a lot of different hats today and that’s ok.

-Todd Lehr

Productions Notes:

Q: How did the idea for Finding Tina Palmer come about?

TODD LEHR: You have to be careful what you tell your wife because one day, I told her a story about how I got beat in fourth grade by this girl Tina Palmer and how devastated I was by the lose. Once Katherine heard that she said “Oh my God; that is the best story ever. You have got to track her down and get a rematch, so we can make a documentary.” I’m really lucky because my wife and I get along on so many levels. We live together, we work together, and we can keep perspective in times of stress during production. At UC San Diego Katherine and I had a professor who was a mentor and she told us, “There’s nothing more stressful than making a film and if you can survive that together you can do anything.”

Q: What was your favorite part of making Finding Tina Palmer?

TODD LEHR: The highlight for me was talking to some of the men who came to the free screenings. They came up to me and said, “I get it. That could have been my story, I totally understand where you are coming from and what you are going through.” Arm wrestling was the premise and the hook of the film, but what we really were trying to accomplish was much deeper. We created a space where men could look at their place in society and decide who they are inside and who they want to be and what they want to accomplish.