1
2
The Short History of the Long Road (2020) is a road trip drama starring Sabrina Carpenter, Steven Ogg, Maggie Siff and Danny Trejo. It premiered at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival as part of the US Narrative Competition, receiving a Special Mention for Best Screenplay. Released by Filmrise, the film rose to #2 at the box office. A “breakout vehicle for its writer-director as well as its star” (Rotten Tomatoes Critics Consensus), the film’s screenplay now resides at the Academy’s library. It is currently available on all platforms.
For teenage Nola (Sabrina Carpenter), home is the open road. Her self-reliant father (Steven Ogg) is her anchor in a life of transience. The pair criss-cross the United States in a lovingly refurbished RV, making ends meet through odd jobs while relishing their independence. A shocking rupture, though, casts Nola out on her own. She makes her way to Albuquerque, New Mexico in search of a mother she never knew, only for her motorhome to break down unexpectedly. But after forging a bond with an auto body shop owner (Danny Trejo), Nola senses the possibility of mooring her ship in this storm.
With an eye for quiet detail, Ani Simon-Kennedy emphasizes the precariousness of young people surviving on the fringes of a country ravaged by income inequality. This unforgiving backdrop makes The Short History Of The Long Road’s hope for Nola all the more moving and a poignant coming of age tale. It is ultimately Carpenter’s movie: she sinks into Nola’s wise but searching old soul in a breakout performance, endearingly detailed and compellingly internal. —Liza Domnitz, Tribeca Film Festival
Awards + Labs
SUNDANCE Editing Residency 2018
IFP FILM WEEK No Borders International Co-Production Market 2018
US IN PROGRESS PARIS Film Market 2018
ABELCINE x FILM INDEPENDENT Feature Film Grant 2018
TRIBECA x ATT UNTOLD STORIES Grant Finalist 2017
TRIBECA ALL ACCESS Grantee 2017
Best Screenplay BENTONVILLE FILM FESTIVAL 2015
CINE QUA NON Screenwriting Lab 2015
FILM INDEPENDENT Screenwriting Lab 2015