[2] Palka wrote, directed and starred in Good Dick, which competed in the Dramatic Competition at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival.

[5] The film also featured Jason Ritter, Martin Starr, Mark Webber, Charles Durning and Tom Arnold.

The New York Times said the film "surmounts its indie-movie quirkiness with exceptional acting and a sincere belief in the salvation of its wounded characters".

[6] Palka appeared in Peter Mullan's Neds, Jeremiah Jones' Restive, Bryce Dallas Howard's When You Find Me, Nathan Sutton's Autumn Wanderer and Sylvia Sether's King of Norway.

[7] In 2017, Palka directed the feature film EGG starring Christina Hendricks, Alysia Reiner and Anna Camp and produced by Michele Ganeless.