Robyn Campbell with a cutout of Pivot's main character Ashley. (Submitted/Robyn Campbell)

By Jaryn Vecchio

Star in the Making

P.A. screenwriter’s animated film receiving praise & awards across the globe

Aug 17, 2023 | 5:00 PM

An animated short film written by a Prince Albert woman is creating quite a buzz across the globe.

Robyn Campbell wrote the script for Pivot which tells the story of 12-year-old Ashley who’s trying to find the courage to stand up for herself after her mom forced her to wear a dress she hates.

It came out in 2021 but is set to be showcased at the upcoming Catalina Film Festival in California. This will be the 32^nd festival it’s appeared in as it’s been shown to audiences in South Korea, Italy, Germany, the United States, and more.

Campbell told paNOW she was inspired to write the story after remembering the situation her childhood friend found herself in.

“From the time we were in preschool, her mom would force her to wear these dresses and match her sister for every picture day, Christmas concert, you name it, and she absolutely hated it. Now she’s grown up to be a very strong independent woman who’s thriving,” she said.

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It was pitched to the Women in Animation – ACE program which helped turn the script into an actual short film. In the roughly two years Pivot has been out, it has won five awards at four different international festivals.

Ever since it started being shown to audiences, Campbell has had countless talks with people who truly understood the challenge Ashley found herself dealing with.

“I’ve had people telling me their own stories,” she said.

One talk that sticks out for her was a man who said his dad wanted him to be a Boston Red Sox fan and wouldn’t allow him to cheer for the New York Yankees, despite living in New York.

Campbell has also gotten compliments from well-known people in the film industry. This includes Brenda Chapman who wrote and directed Brave and directed The Prince of Egypt.

“She was really, really great about it,” Campbell said.

The success of Pivot has been overwhelming, to say the least. Campbell explained it’s funny to look back at her time growing up in Prince Albert and how she got to where she is now. The one piece of advice she wanted to give to those growing up in the community is to never give up on their dreams.

“There’s nothing (really) different about every single person who lives in Prince Albert and all of the people who are walking the red carpets in Los Angeles. The only difference is that the people who grow up in Los Angeles see a clear path towards that career,” she said.

Meanwhile, Campbell is working on a couple of projects that people will soon be able to see.

This includes writing episodes for the show LEGO Friends which she explained will be out within the next year.

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Jaryn.Vecchio@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @princealbertnow