Dallas, Texas, 1980. At a high society party, a gossip columnist hunts down Dallas’s new First Lady to unearth the truths underneath her legendary mink coat.

The night of November 21, 1980: Two weeks after the country has elected a new president, the women of Dallas, Texas, are waiting with bated breath for the reveal of JR Ewing’s killer on the hit TV show DALLAS. At a high society viewing party, however, Gossip columnist Libby Smith is waiting for something else: the arrival of Dallas’s brand new first lady Pete Pangburn. When Pete finally arrives and behaves unlike the ethereal first lady everyone expected, Libby discovers the gritty truths beneath the big hair, sparkling dress, and stunning mink coat.

The short was always meant to feel complete as a stand alone story, but also was to be a mood piece for a feature we are developing called “The Big D,” which is also set in Dallas in 1980 and explores similar themes and characters. Both were inspired by real women the director personally knew growing up in Dallas. It can be said of both the short and the feature that what began as an examination of complicated women and our political past, has become an exploration of our present.

Brought together by two female directors Samantha Buck and Marie Schlingmann, ‘The Mink Catcher’ throws an obvious female strong arm to the filmmaking community, especially with a story revolving around 2 female characters. While the storyline throws a bone at the high class society of the 80’s, the main protagonist battles in silence to escape flagrant lifestyle, at least for a few minutes. The film really gives a different perspective of the life of an electoral wife, and how difficult it may be to always be bearing a smile.