Bag Lady

Bag Lady is a proof-of-concept short film in post production with generous funding from the Ann Johnson Institute, Indian Paintbrush, and the Society for Science.

The Feature

Bag Lady is a comedic period script in the vein of Dickinson or The Great, which tells the story of Margaret E Knight, the brazen inventor of the paper-bag machine. In 1868, Margaret is working at the Columbia Paper Bag Factory as a “bagger,” where each day she tediously folds hundreds of paper bags by hand. Inspired by automation and the booming industrial push around her, Margaret sets out to design her own bag machine. But just as she’s ready to file the patent for her invention, it gets stolen by a man at her factory. Determined not to back down or let him take credit for her work, Margaret makes the bold choice to take him to court for patent interference. Using her smarts, and with the support of her bagger friends, she makes history by winning the case, becoming one of the first women to hold a U.S. patent. 

Winner of the Alfred P. Sloan Screenwriting Award, Columbia University