January 21st, 2026

 

TRIBECA FILMS TO RELEASE INDEPENDENT DOCUMENTARY FILM ‘WE ARE PAT’ BY ROWAN HABER; ALAN CUMMING JOINS AS EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

 

(Photo credit: We Are Pat, LLC)

 

NEW YORK – (January 21, 2026) – Tribeca Films, the distribution label from Tribeca Enterprises and Giant Pictures dedicated to championing independent filmmakers and bringing standout festival films to audiences worldwide, today announced the upcoming release of the independent documentary film WE ARE PAT from director Rowan Haber. The film, which explores the legacy of iconic gender-nonconforming SNL character Pat, had its world premiere at the 2025 Tribeca Festival, where it earned a Special Jury Mention for New Documentary Director. Tribeca Films will release the film digitally in June.

 

On the heels of the Tribeca premiere, Alan Cumming and Adrian Salpeter joined the film team as Executive Producers. Cumming said, “I’m delighted to executive produce WE ARE PAT, a film that joyfully reclaims Julia Sweeney’s iconic SNL character as the non-binary icon they were always meant to be—smart, heartfelt, and deliciously subversive. Under Rowan Haber’s assured direction, the film honors the past while cheekily rewriting it, delivering wit, warmth, and the last laugh.”

 

Pat, the evasive, androgynous SNL character played by Julia Sweeney, was a ubiquitous presence in the pop culture ether of the 1990s. Now, 35 years after the first “It’s Pat” sketch debuted on SNL, Tribeca alum filmmaker Haber and a who’s who of queer and trans comedians and writers (including Sweeney herself) come together to confront the existence of Pat. Through discussions and debate via the lens of 2025 and trans visibility, the group goes on a mission to reframe the character — an unexpected opportunity to not erase Pat but reclaim them in a manner that eliminates ridicule and instills empowerment.

 

“WE ARE PAT explores what happens when the person once laughed at becomes the one holding the mirror. It is about memory, discomfort, love, and the strange hope that even our most complicated cultural artifacts can be reimagined with care,” said director Rowan Haber.

 

"Without filmmaker Rowan Haber’s ‘Pat’ obsession, I would never have fully thought through my relationship to Pat – a wildly popular character that I created that unexpectedly struck a nerve in popular culture,” said Julia Sweeney. “I was interviewed over several years for this documentary, never knowing if it would be sympathetic or critical. Much like Pat-self, the documentary is both. I’m so happy I agreed to participate.  WE ARE PAT is so much deeper and richer and more provocative than I ever imagined. And funny. Really, really funny.”

 

WE ARE PAT is directed by Rowan Haber and produced by Haber and Caryn Capotosto (WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR?). It stars Julia Sweeney, Kevin Nealon, Molly Kearney, Abby McEnany, Murray Hill, Nori Reed, Robin Tran, Sabrina Wu, Roz Hernandez, and more. Executive Producers include Alan Cumming, Adrian Salpeter, Bill & Ruth Ann Harnisch - The Harnisch Foundation, Jenny Raskin, Geralyn White Dreyfous, Pierre Hauser, Rebecca Lichtenfeld, Chandra Jessee, Marci Wiseman, Daniel J. Chalfen, Dawn Bonder, J Winkelried, Eric Kuhn, Beth Levison, Shauna Schmunk, Lilly Wachowski, Lauren Greenfield and Frank Evers, Stuart Ford, Lourdes Diaz, Caroline Libresco, and Meadow Fund. 

 

“WE ARE PAT is the kind of bold, culturally resonant documentary that reflects Tribeca Films’ commitment to supporting independent filmmakers and elevating festival-discovered stories. Rowan Haber revisits an iconic piece of pop culture with empathy, intelligence, and humor. We’re proud to help bring this film—and its thoughtful reexamination of identity and representation—to audiences everywhere,” said Jane Rosenthal, Co-Founder and Co-Chair of Tribeca Enterprises.

 

The title follows the February 2026 Tribeca Films release of Timour Gregory and Sasha Schneider’s BEAM ME UP, SULU, as well as a standout 2025 slate of nearly twenty Tribeca Films releases—reflecting the label’s ongoing commitment to championing independent filmmakers and bringing distinctive, festival-lauded stories to audiences worldwide—including Pasqual Gutierrez and Ben Mullinkosson’s SERIOUS PEOPLE; Carina Mia Wong and Alex Simmons’ WE CAN BE HEROES; Christopher Bouckoms and Sam Pezzullo’s THE PREMIERE; Hugo Ruíz’s ONE NIGHT WITH ADELA; Sadie Bones’ IF THAT MOCKINGBIRD DON’T SING; Jill Campbell’s BEYOND THE GAZE: JULE CAMPBELL’S SWIMSUIT ISSUE; Patrick Moreau’s THE BRITTO DOC; and Chazz Palminteri’s A BRONX TALE: ONE MAN SHOW.

 

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About Tribeca Films
Tribeca Films is a distribution label from Tribeca Enterprises and Giant Pictures that brings independent films from top film festivals to streaming platforms and creates revenue-generating opportunities for filmmakers. Tribeca Films presents these films to new audiences across a wide distribution infrastructure and on the Tribeca Channel. Learn more at tribecafilm.com/tribecafilms.

 

Press Contacts
Annie Davis, adavis@tribecafilm.com

Mia Ogle, mogle@tribecafilm.com