We recently connected with Audrey Booth and have shared our conversation below.

Audrey, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

The most meaningful project I have worked on is a 30-minute short film entitled “Petrichor”, which will begin its festival run in 2025. It is a film that I wrote, co-directed, and was a supporting actress in. “Petrichor” explores the nuances of what it means to be queer when you’ve been raised in the Christian church. What makes our film so unique is that it dives unflinchingly into the question: are being queer and faithful really mutually exclusive?

As a young queer woman who believed in God and felt comfortable in the church, it was an earth-shattering experience when I began to come out and experienced firsthand the pain and condemnation that people in the queer community have faced. It was an experience that I will never forget– and one that I am still working to overcome.

What sparked the creation of this film was an image I had never seen before: a church in downtown Portland, OR that had a Pride flag hanging on the front of the building. That was a massive moment for me. Being too scared to go in, I would walk past that flag often. That church gave me a spark of hope that I had been lacking.

That spark turned into the concept for “Petrichor”. In this film, Willow, a young woman who is deeply devoted to the church, has her world shaken when she becomes drawn to an openly lesbian newcomer in her Bible study. Willow is suddenly faced with a difficult crossroads: does she challenge her learned homophobia, or does she risk losing her own hidden identity forever?

“Petrichor” has changed me in so many ways, both as a human being and as an artist. It helped heal some of the pain that I had experienced from the church, and helped me to better understand my values as an artist and queer person. I am also exceptionally grateful for all that I learned on that set. I learned so much as an actor from our leading lady, Kaikane, and I learned so much about how to elevate a film from a concept to an elegant story from my good friend and co-director, Ren Park. “Petrichor” has left me with a hunger to continue using my voice as an actress, writer, and director to tell stories that give voice to the unheard and spark genuine, productive conversations.

I am so proud of the work that our incredible production team put into this film. To watch this film’s journey, follow us on my production company’s Instagram: @NovelteaFilms

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Empathy is at the heart of everything I do as an artist. Whether that’s as an actress in the theater or on screen, or as a writer/director, I aim to produce a space where people can empathize with each other. I want to help foster a space that gives voice to those whose stories have been overlooked, and do my part to lead important conversations about issues facing our society. There are so many divisions in this world, and so many of us feel that we’re alone in our experiences. If my time as an artist has taught me anything, it’s that we are not alone. There is someone out there who understands what you’re facing. My aim is to help people feel seen, heard, and valued in their experiences.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

I’m going to expand my answer for this one. For this question, I want to talk about the journey of creating the film “Method”, written and directed by Paul Bestolarides. This thriller follows a home health nurse as she begins caring for a retired actor, but the longer she stays, the darker their interactions become. For people who don’t work in the film industry, movies are an easy piece of entertainment to consume. You sit down, scroll until you find a movie that sounds good, and then within a couple hours you’ve moved on to something else. But what you don’t see are the countless hours, the blood, sweat, and tears poured into the film by the crew and cast.

Take “Method”, for example. I first became involved in this film way back in 2020. Almost five years later, it’s only now reaching it’s premiere. Why? Because in film, there is so much that cannot be controlled. I got cast in 2020– but the production was quickly postponed due to the global pandemic. It was also an entirely different script at the time, but due to environmental factors outside of the filmmakers’ control, that script was no longer an option to create. But what this film illustrates is the immense dedication, flexibility, and commitment required by the crew and cast to create something incredible. Through every setback, we persevered. Every problem we ran into on set, we worked around. The production team has persevered all these years because of their collective commitment to the craft.

For non-creatives, it can be a struggle to understand what it truly means to create a film from scratch. Filmmaking is just as much about grit as it is about creativity. Film production is not for the weak. I was blown away by the dedication and skill I witnessed from Paul and the crew, including Jordan Kost, Craig Vincent, Brach Flemmer, and Daniel Potter. I was very lucky to have experienced this production with them, and to have witnessed their incredible passion for film. I just want to take this moment to congratulate them on the completion of all their hard work.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

As a huge book worm, I have so many books I would like to recommend, but the book that has been the most impactful to my life and my career is “Break Your Own Rules: How to Change the Patterns of Thinking that Block Women’s Paths to Power” by Jill Flynn, Kathryn Heath, and Mary Davis Holt. I know that title can seem a bit overwhelming, but when you break it down, this book really has the potential to change the lives of so many women. I’ve read it several times over and marked it up with so many notes, but the overall takeaway I received is this: as women, we must challenge the messages we have been socialized into believing about ourselves, and instead step forward boldly, knowing the full depth of our strength and worth.

This book was written with a focus on business, but I have found that it applies to everyday life, too. It has been monumental in helping me push from where I began as a high school student dreaming about being an actor, to actually becoming a paid, working actor. In fact, it’s one of my favorite books to gift to women in my life. It’s truly a book that has a deep reservoir of information and advice that can be applied to any situation and help women become their best, strongest selves.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.audreybooth.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/audreybooth_/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/audrey.booth.58555/
• Other: https://www.instagram.com/novelteafilms/

Image Credits

Headshot: Levy Moroshan

Additional Photos: Eduardo Jovanovic