Women-first production company makes waves

Laughing Tiger Films is an up-and-coming film production company owned and operated by two women screenwriters and producers residing in Colorado. Their mission is to tell the stories of women from all walks of life.

Molly Rosenberg and Sara Page recently optioned the rights to Colorado author Elea Plotkin’s “The Procedure,” a locally-inspired novel centered around professional skiing that was recently featured in The Sopris Sun. It’s the story of a young female extreme skier who faces trials and tribulations in her career while also being a single mother to a child with a seizure disorder.

Rosenberg is originally from Canada, where her career in screenwriting and production began. Her most notable work was the 2001 Canadian romantic drama “The War Bride”. She was a producer and co-writer of the film and has resided in Littleton for 14 years.

Page also owns Pathway Productions and once received a Peabody Award. She has 20 years of experience in documentary and adventure filmmaking that began at National Geographic. Her most notable works are “China Beyond the Clouds,” “Submarine 1-52” and “The Shape of Life.” She and her family reside in Golden.

They sat down with The Sopris Sun to discuss the process of bringing “The Procedure” to the screen and what they have in mind for the future of Laughing Tiger Productions.

Rosenberg and Page met in China, where their children were part of the “Colorado Children Chorale.” They later did a companion tour in 2019, just before the outbreak of COVID-19. Then, Rosenberg roped Page into attending several writing courses together at Lighthouse Writers in Denver.

Their company was named by combining Rosenberg’s Chinese Zodiac sign, the tiger, and Page’s love for laughter. While working on projects separately, the two ended up working on a TV pilot together titled “Karma’s a Bitch.” Not long after that, Rosenberg read “The Procedure,” written by her friend of six years.

“I read some earlier drafts, and I always thought it was a fabulous idea cinematically,” Rosenberg said. “Then Sara [Page] approached me and said, ‘Why don’t we adapt this book?’ I fell in love with it. I thought it had all of the elements to make a fabulous film,” Rosenberg said.

Page piggybacked on that sentiment, saying that she and Rosenberg have different but complementary visions and energies surrounding their work, and both deeply resonated with the subject material of Plotkin’s novel.

“I’m a huge skier, and both of us are moms,” said Page. “[The book] hit a lot of the questions and contemporary issues around women, mothers and professionals.”

Asked about the vision for their company, Page and Rosenberg agreed they want to focus not only telling the stories of women from all walks of life, but also providing opportunities for women in the film industry and platforming female producers, directors, cinematographers, screenwriters and more. They hope to adapt more books to film as well as write and release original content of their own.

“At this stage of my life, creating Laughing Tiger Films, we are very intentionally wanting to work with like-minded people and to create great movies that say something,” Rosenberg stated.

Page shared the sentiment. “Being in the documentary space for so long, I was drawn to the different individual characters that I kept meeting with interesting stories. I’m in my 50s — I have a different perspective and I’m seeing in entertainment now a broadening of perspectives that include wise women … They are rich stories, and I think everybody can learn from them.”

Rosenberg said the film adaptation of “The Procedure” is something that she is enjoying the process of putting together. Because she, Page and Plotkin were all friends before the fruition of Laughing Tiger Films, working together is a win-win situation.

“We may not stick 100% to the book, but we are honoring her wonderful story and the intent,” said Rosenberg. “She is wonderful to work with in that regard. It’s always nice to work with writers who are more amenable to the bigger picture.”

The process of bringing “The Procedure” and other works to life is in progress. Since Laughing Tiger Films is still in its infancy, they do not currently have an active website or social media account.