Meet Hannah Patterson | Independent Filmmaker and musician

We had the good fortune of connecting with Hannah Patterson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Hannah, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
The world moved too fast for me growing up. I found the way people explained things to me didn’t resonate- like I was always coming into a conversation halfway finished. I thought deeply and felt things deeply but there was hardly time to parse through the tangled mess; my limited vocabulary and lack of bodily awareness made it hard to share what was on my mind or what to call these Big Feelings I couldn’t seem to shake.

Until I started writing.

Unbeknownst to me at the time, it was a way for me to sift, sort, and make sense of myself. Once I started, it quickly became something I couldn’t live without. The amount of ideas that involuntarily demand my attention every day is obscene and I’d go absolutely mad if I wasn’t able to give them an outlet. It’s compulsive and I must succumb to the obsession.
To be recognized and validated on the highest of levels by the paragons for my work is spellbinding and seductive; but I once heard the phrase “middle class filmmaker” and it has stuck with me like glue. I’m not going to lie and say that I don’t reach for greatness, that I don’t aspire to make a cultural impact or monumental change or to be considered a peer by the very people I looked up to and admire – I do. But I also know that I would be satisfied being in a position where I choose to only do the projects that fulfill me and not have to do projects that pad my bank account or advance my career that my heart’s not in.

This isn’t a passion, this is who I am.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
The Television was a constant, inescapable murmur in my household growing up. Family nights every Friday, order Chinese, a rental from Blockbuster. My dad, sitting in his self-made dent on the couch, everyday, watching something always whenever I stepped through the door from school or practice. Always on, begging for attention from every room. Sometimes, showing something I didn’t care for. But, sometimes, a line of dialogue would hook into my ear and drag me into the room to fill in context. By 11y/o, I had my own standards of what constituted a good film without knowing what I was looking for or why I classified it as such. Looking back, I had attributed “good” films to well-rounded, complex characters; purposeful storylines, and a consistent, articulate vision. I held onto that in college when I first started creating. I remember a TedTalk about why Apple products are so revered-it all came down to their marketing. They start with emotion and work their way out to connect a feeling to their products. I realized that was the reason my favorite movies resonated: there were clear emotional foundations that I connected to and in turn, wanted to accomplish for my films.
I’d found it hard to articulate my thoughts and feelings growing up. Film and TV was where I found people were speaking directly to me. It’s a language, I believe, that is universal and a better mode of communication I can express myself through. I create for the people who need to not just be heard but experienced to be understood.
I remember the first time I became aware of it. I was watching “Billy Elliot” and he was dancing through the street out of frustration. The camera was tracking his feet as he was spinning faster and faster with vexation approaching its peak of exacerbation- until he hit a wall. I’m not a dancer, I’m not Irish, nor male or white; but I understood what he was feeling at that moment- how dance was supposed to be something that he enjoyed but it turned into something that upended his life. Film and TV offered me the opportunity to understand an experience that I couldn’t otherwise understand if it wasn’t for film and that inspires me to create the same for others. I believe that this mentorship would help me create opportunities for others to experience their “Billy Elliot” moment through my work.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
The Underground in the OG Little 5 to see a couple of shows. My 3 favorite wing spots: Atlanta’s Best Wings, Touchdown Wings, and The Wing Bar.
The local smoke shop, Great Smoke, to hang out.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are a multitude of people and organizations that have supported me and brought me to the place where I am now. Too many to list here.

But I do want to give a shoutout to my parents, Angela and Kirk Patterson. I was very lucky to have them not only encourage whatever it is I want to do in this life, but to never try and make me pursue a path that would be more lucrative and stable over a path that fulfills me. They sacrificed more than I know for my siblings and I to follow whatever pulls us by our collars.

I owe a lot of my success to them.

Website: https://www.hannahpattersonofficial.com/

Instagram: hanpatt20

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannahpatterson20/

Other: If you could mention somewhere that my latest short film got into the Georgia Film Festival, The New Orleans Film Festival, and The New Orleans Film Society’s South Pitch event! I am currently raising money for lodging and travel for my team and I and could really use the help! $latetothepartyfilms paypal: hanpatt20@gmail.com Venmo: @hanpatt20

Image Credits
Maya Davis, Raihven Minter, TroyElan Richardson