Penelope Spheeris

Bio

Penelope Spheeris is a Los Angeles-based filmmaker whose early childhood was spent in a travelling carnival where her father served as the resident strongman. This nascent exposure to counter-culture society evolved with her exploration of rock and roll, and exploded full blast as she fell in love with filmmaking. Spheeris’ Decline of Western Civilization documentary trilogy is a bonafide classic, with its vivid depictions of Los Angeles’ punk rock and heavy metal music cultures. While the runaway success of her debut comedic feature, Wayne’s World, sucked her into directing commercial comedies for years, she never lost sight of giving voice to the underrepresented and humanizing the misfits.