Darragh Kennan

A mockumentary between 'Waiting for Guffman' and 'The Office', 'What the Funny' is the story of 'Max', long-suffering owner of a struggling comedy-theatre in Seattle. The theatre company struggles through the final weeks of preparation for their next show, and the only thing standing in their way is money, talent, ego, and the occasional murder. This collaboration of some of the best of Seattle's Independent Film, Fringe Theatre and music scenes is part of a new wave of independent film. Designed to take advantage of Internet distribution and the growing influence of social networks, it was made as a series of ten-minute episodes. Each is a complete story in itself; each contributes to the eleven-episode narrative arc. It is a tightly woven story that shifts fluidly amongst an ensemble of the attention-starved, needy, neurotic characters that live to make strangers laugh.

In the early 19th century on the Pacific Northwest coast, a young Salish native's vision quest is disturbed by the arrival of a tall ship.