Marianna Palka

Marianna Palka
Marianna Bronislawa Barbara Palka (born 7 September 1981) is a Scottish actress, producer, director, and writer. She is the writer, director and star of the film Good Dick, which screened at the Sundance Film Festival.
Early life and education
Palka was born to Polish immigrant parents in Glasgow, Scotland. At the age of 17, Palka moved to New York City to study at the Atlantic Theater Company.
Career
Palka wrote, directed and starred in Good Dick, which competed in the Dramatic Competition at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. The film also featured Jason Ritter, Martin Starr, Mark Webber, Charles Durning and Tom Arnold. The New York Times said the film "surmounts its indie-movie quirkiness with exceptional acting and a sincere belief in the salvation of its wounded characters". Palka returned to 2010 Sundance Film Festival as a Juror with the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
Palka appeared in Peter Mullan's Neds, Jeremiah Jones' Restive, Bryce Dallas Howard's When You Find Me, Nathan Sutton's Autumn Wanderer and Sylvia Sether's King of Norway. In 2014, Palka produced and was the subject of the HBO Lucy Walker documentary The Lion's Mouth Opens, which follows the process of Palka discovering she has inherited the genetic mutation that causes Huntington’s disease, and which was nominated for an Emmy Award and shortlisted for an Academy Award nomination. Palka made a cameo in the HBO series Girls as Jessa's (Jemima Kirke) sister. As of 2017, Palka appears as Reggie 'Vicky the Viking' Walsh in the Netflix series G.L.O.W .
Palka wrote, directed and starred in Bitch, based on a true story from Scottish doctor R.D. Laing of a mother acting like a dog after a psychotic break. The film made its round in film festivals around the world, after its world premiere at 2017 Sundance Film Festival. In 2017, Palka directed the feature film EGG starring Christina Hendricks, Alysia Reiner and Anna Camp and produced by Michele Ganeless.
Theater
In 2010, Palka performed in Love, Loss, and What I Wore at The Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles. In 2012, she was in The Ensemble Theater in Santa Barbara, California, reading of The Good Soldier. She appeared in Martin McDonagh's The Lonesome West at the Actor's Gang Theatre, Los Angeles, and in Conor McPherson's Dublin Carol at the Ensemble Theatre Company.
Awards
20YY: Annenberg Film Fellowship
2008: Sundance Film Festival – Grand Jury Prize, Dramatic (nominee) for Good Dick
2008: Edinburgh International Film Festival – New Director's Award for Good Dick
2010: Sundance Film Festival, Alfred P. Sloan Award
2016: News & Documentary Emmy Awards – Outstanding Short Documentary (nominee) for The Lion's Mouth Opens
2017: Fantasia Film Festival – Cheval Noir award for Best Screenplay for Bitch
2017: Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival – Narcisse Award, Best Film (nominee) for Bitch
Filmography
Creator
1990s: By My Very Self (Short)
1990s: For My American Friends (Short)
2008: Good Dick – as The Woman; producer, director, writer
2014: I'm the Same – as Skye; co-producer, director, writer
2014: The Lion's Mouth Opens (Documentary short) – as herself; producer, writer
2015: Always Worthy – as Genevieve; producer, director, writer
2016: Heirloom (Short) – as Maid Ivy; writer
2017: Bitch – as Jill Hart; director, writer
2018: Egg – director
2021: Collection - director
Actor
2001: Earth Day (Short) – as Gail (voice)
2006: Orchids (Short) – as Girl's Feet
2007: Drunk History (TV series) – as Martha Washington (1 episode: "Drunk History Vol. 3: Featuring Danny McBride")
2007: Derek and Simon (TV series short) – as Sophie (2 episodes)
2009: Betty File 43 (Short)
2010: Neds – as Aunt Beth
2010: Modern Romance (Short)
2011: Insane (Short) – as Marianna
2011: Restive – as Jeva
2011: When You Find Me (Short) – as Joanne
2012: Spoonful (Short) – as Vivian
2013: Autumn Wanderer – as Audrey
2013: King of Norway (Short) – as Liv Skaarsguard
2013: The Price We Pay (Short) – as Hot Chick
2013: Slice (Short) – as Radio Newscaster
2014: First Kiss (Short) – as Soko's Kisser
2015: Pant Suits (Short) – as Joanne
2015: Scottish Mussel – as Fiona
2015: Contracted: Phase II – as Crystal Young
2015: Oh Gallow Lay (Short)
2015: Forever – as Kate
2016: Girls (TV series) (TV show) – as Minerva (1 episode: "Queen for Two Days")
2017–19: GLOW (TV series) – as Reggie Walsh (23 episodes)
2017: We Are Boats – as Marko
2017: Mississippi Requiem – as Emily Grierson
2018: The Adventures of Thomasina Sawyer – as Aunt Polly
2019: Good Omens (TV series) – as Frannie (1 episode: "Hard Times")
Theater
2006: Dublin Carol by Conor McPherson at the Ensemble Theatre Company
2010: Love, Loss, and What I Wore at The Geffen Playhouse, Los Angeles
2012: The Good Soldier reading at The Ensemble Theater, Santa Barbara, California
2000s: The Lonesome West by Martin McDonagh at The Actors' Gang Theatre, Los Angeles
Sources
External links
Living people
1981 births
Scottish film actresses
Scottish people of Polish descent
Actresses from Glasgow
Scottish women film directors
Scottish film producers
Writers from Glasgow
Scottish screenwriters
Scottish women photographers
Scottish television actresses
Scottish stage actresses
21st-century Scottish actresses
21st-century British women photographers
21st-century British screenwriters
21st-century Scottish women writers
British women screenwriters