NEW YORK, NY- Traditionally trucking has been viewed as a male dominated industry but in the past five years, women have become a growing presence in the trucking world. Attracted to the freedom of the road, the potential of making a good living, and the autonomy of the trucking lifestyle, more and more women are becoming drivers and finding that they love the job.
Alligator on the Zipper is the first documentary film to record this demographic surge. Industrial psychologist Sheryl Youngblood takes us on the road with seven adventurous, hardworking, often humorous and freedom loving women drivers who have opted for the trucking lifestyle. It captures the spirit of these seven women as they crisscross the highways and back roads of the United States hauling their loads.
As the women drive, their life stories unfold. One of the women in the film is "mogul in the making" Patsy Van Flateren, a Belgian immigrant, whose drive and willpower has propelled her to build a successful flatbed trucking business and to overcome an abusive past. Another is Jackie Wheeler, a former actress whose dream is to appear on Oprah to tell her "rags to riches" story. A third profile is that of Jan Steward,
a trucker who leads a Christian service every morning over her CB radio.
The stories of these women and four others deliver a compelling and candid look into the world of women truck drivers. Featuring unique and striking cinematography, Alligator on the Zipper was directed by Bulgarian filmmaker Ivo Stainoff, whose childhood experiences influenced the film. "Growing up surrounded by gypsies I have always been attracted to people whose spirit leads them to live a nomadic lifestyle. My mother drove a truck for a period of time while we were living in the Caucus Mountain region in Eastern Russia and I remember her determination in sub zero temperatures."
The newly launched website for the film is www.alligatoronthezipper.com. The film is available for purchase through the website.
