Now available through VIMEO ON DEMAND! To request a copy on DVD or BluRay, CONTACT US
Patrinell: The Total Experience is a feature-length independent documentary conceived by Indigenous/Black filmmaker Tia Young about Seattle’s Black gospel vocalist Rev. Patrinell “Pat” Staten Wright. The extraordinarily gifted daughter of a Texas preacher, Pat Wright escaped the segregated American South in the 1960s only to face a different kind of racism in the Pacific Northwest. Despite opposition from the public schools and her own church’s hierarchy, Pat Wright gathered the children of Seattle’s Central District together to form the Total Experience Gospel Choir, which subsequently became one of Seattle’s most treasured cultural institutions. Over the 45 years since its inception, the Total Experience Choir has thrilled and inspired audiences all over the world. In recent years, however, the choir has languished as the unique character of the historically Black Central District has been lost through relentless gentrification.
Patrinell: The Total Experience’s holistic approach to storytelling makes it not just a well-made feature film but an actual act of communal care. The film beautifully resonates the mission of a woman and community who refuse to be erased, forgotten and displaced.
–Mia Imani Harrison, artist, activist, and arts writer
FOR PRIVATE BOOKING, CONTACT TIA YOUNG at treneyoung@gmail.com
The Patrinell Team. From left to right: Co-director Andrew Elizaga, cinematographer Katya Palladina, Pastor Patrinell Wright, and producer/co-director Tia Young.
THE PATRINELL TEAM
TIA YOUNG, Producer/Co-Director
Tia Young, whose racial background is both Black and Indigenous, joined the Total Experience Gospel Choir as a young girl in 1975. Through the choir she made new friends, learned about African American culture, and traveled for first time. The experience opened her eyes to the possibilities of the world and showed her true friendship within the unity of gospel music: “Throughout all the music, choreography, and performances, I learned the art of giving your best in all you do through true discipline and dedication.”
ANDREW ELIZAGA, Co-Director/Editor
Andrew Elizaga spent his teenage years reading Film Comment magazine and skipping school to watch films in Seattle’s art house cinemas. His documentary filmmaking career grew out of making short videos about sea kayaking, wooden boatbuilding, and traditional arctic kayaks. In partnership with cinematographer Katya Palladina, he has completed a number of short films including three award-winning documentaries A Hospital in the Pines, Fake It Till You Make It, and Dancing With Hope.
KATYA PALLADINA, Director of Photography/Graphic Designer
Katya Palladina moved to the mild climate of the Pacific Northwest from the continental plains of Russia in 2001. Having a degree in industrial design from Stroganov Moscow State University of Arts and Industry, Katya is well versed in visual arts and is the art teacher at the independent Open Window School in Bellevue. Her father inspired in her a life-long interest in photography, which eventually lead her to filmmaking. Katya’s greater influences are works of Andrei Tarkovsky and the cinema verité style.
JOEL ELIZAGA, Sound recordist
Sound technician, web designer, and occasional third camera, Joel is pleased to be writing about himself in third person for the veneer of professional distance. Joel holds a degree in Informatics from the University of Washington in Seattle.
Patrinell: The Total Experience 
You must be logged in to post a comment.