EngAGE Stories

If you’ve not had the pleasure of seeing this entertaining 12 minute short comedy – or if you’d like to see it again – you can now enjoy it on our YouTube channel!

Bandida tells the story of an older woman who rides a senior bus to a convenience store, uses her walker to saunter up to the counter, puts on a mask à la the film Scream, and proceeds to rob the older Armenian gentleman who owns the place. However, during the course of this first-time felony, the story takes a surprising turn.

The film was written by a first-time screenwriter, Suzanne Knode. Suzanne had spent most of her life working to raise her kids as a single mom. A few years back, after she retired, she moved to the Burbank Senior Artists Colony. Suzanne thought she’d like to try her hand at writing, so she attended an EngAGE writing class at the Artists Colony.  Bandida was her class project. It was made into a short film by EngAGE, under the banner of “Last Gasp Productions.”

The making of her film, and her story of reinvention, was profiled on national television on the show This American Life on Showtime (promo here, purchase TAM here). She watched the premiere of her film along with an audience of hundreds at the El Portal Theater in the NoHo Arts District as part of the 2007 Valley Film Festival.

Suzanne continues to work on film and stage projects, and has taken up painting and mentoring at-risk teens. In 2010, she was selected as one of 11 subjects for a nationwide campaign and photo exhibit to help raise awareness of how people can keep their minds beautiful. The campaign, “Beautiful Minds: Finding Your Lifelong Potential,” is co-sponsored by the National Center for Creative Aging and Martek Biosciences, a company committed to Brain Health.