Chelsea Peretti wraps up production on Marvista Entertainment's "First Time Female Director"

Comedian, actress and WGA Award nominee Chelsea Peretti has wrapped production on her feature film directorial debut, the comedy "First Time Female Director."“This is the project of a lifetime for me -- a chance to have my voice embodied by a truly brilliant ensemble of comedic actors,” Peretti said.  “I am so moved to have a prolific, beloved and sharp comedy collaborator like Amy Poehler as a producer and actor. And grateful for my champions at MarVista, who took this from script to screen. Our dream was to watch a laugh-out-loud comedy film and I cannot wait to share what we have made with audiences as soon as possible! Also, I love my lawyer. She’s great.”

Produced by FOX Entertainment’s MarVista Entertainment and Paper Kite Productions, and starring, written and produced by Peretti, "First Time Female Director" is set at a local theater in Glendale, CA, where a newly minted female director (Peretti) struggles to fill the shoes of her male predecessor, putting her Southern rural drama in jeopardy. Co-stars opposite Peretti include Blake Anderson, Kate Berlant, Jak Knight, Emmy Award winner Megan Mullally, Benito Skinner and Megan Stalter.

In addition to appearances by Max Greenfield, Brad Hall, Tim Heidecker, Natasha Leggero, Emmy winner Amy Poehler, Andy Richter and Xosha Roquemore, the title will also feature music from longtime Peretti collaborator KoOoLkOjAk, who has composed and produced hit songs for Doja Cat, Sean Paul, Nicki Minaj, Flo Rida, Ke$ha and DMX, as well as having written original songs for box office smashes “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” “The Lorax,” “Boss Baby,” “The LEGO Movie” franchise and “The Book of Life.”

The project serves as the first of its kind to produce a collaboration between MarVista and FOX Entertainment’s that features scenes shot on its studio lot in Los Angeles, where the film’s production offices are based. In addition to Peretti, producers include Poehler, Kate Arend and Jordan Grief for Paper Kite, and Deanna Barillari. The film is executive-produced by Angie Day, Ani Kevork, Hannah Pillemer and Fernando Szew for MarVista. WME Independent will represent sales for the film. “Paper Kite is thrilled to help support the hilarious Chelsea Peretti and her deeply unique and funny film. We also have loved working with MarVista and are grateful they helped make this all happen,” added Poehler.

Peretti is an actress, comedian, producer and television writer who starred as fan-favorite “Gina Linetti” on the hit FOX/NBC comedy “Brooklyn Nine-Nine.” Most recently, she was featured in Amazon Prime Video's second installment of its comedy special, “Yearly Departed.” The two-time WGA Award nominee was a writer on “Parks and Recreation,” “Portlandia,” “Sarah Silverman Program” and “Kroll Show,” as well as “Saturday Night Live.”  Peretti can be heard on hit animated projects, such as “Big Mouth,” “The Simpsons” and “Sing 2.” On the stage, Peretti’s hour-long stand-up special, “One of the Greats,” was released in 2014 on Netflix, and her half-hour special, “Comedy Central Presents,” aired in 2011. Most recently, Peretti hosted Variety’s Power of Women celebration in 2021 and the Writers Guild Awards in 2019.

“Hiring ‘first time female directors’ has been a core focus of mine throughout my career,” said Hannah Pillemer, Executive Vice President of Creative at MarVista Entertainment. “The chance to support a comedic visionary like Chelsea is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and we are honored she chose MarVista to go on this journey with her. Our entire team is thrilled to partner with Paper Kite, and we cannot wait for the world to see this unique and distinctively hilarious film!”