Thursday, November 7, 2024

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Indie Beat Talks With ‘Let Me Die A Nun’ Director Sarah Salovaara [Podcast]

Legend has it that on this very day, at this very timeā€¦ an episode of Indie Beat would be released. This story was passed on from generation to generation and finally that fateful day is here. Was the tale truthful? Was there to be a new episode of the podcast?

Yes. They were right. And it was good.

(That they were right).

On this episode I spoke to filmmaker (sometimes film journalist and festival programmer) Sarah Salovaara!

Salovaara began doing short films in college under the guidance of director Matt Porterfield (ā€œI Used To Be Darkerā€). After graduating she conducted numerous interviews for outlets such as Filmmaker Magazine while also programming for First Time Fest and the Nantucket Film Festival.

All the while Sarah was toiling away on her own films. 2015 saw the release of ā€œNugget,ā€ a comical ditty featuring a calorie-counting hermit and a nuisance of a neighbor. It starred Carlen Altman (ā€œThe Color Wheelā€) and Carl Kranz (ā€œSoft in the Headā€) and went on to play at the Sarasota Film Festival among others. The best part? You can watch it right now, right here!Ā 

Afterwards, Salovaara began building what would eventually become her most personal and expansive project ā€” the web series ā€œLet Me Die A Nun.ā€ The serial primarily follows a nun-in-training (rising comedian Ana Fabrega) as she discovers her newfound interest in women, exploring burgeoning sexuality and the affects Ā of that on oneā€™s livelihood and vocation. Also centered on is her love interest (Hari Nef, ā€œTransparentā€) and her incessant Jewish suitor (a game Carl Kranz).

The showā€™s insight into the church and, specifically, a nunnery, is illuminating. It feels like thereā€™s forever been a dearth of funny things about religious people that isnā€™t cartoonish or facile ā€” ā€œLet Me Die A Nunā€ allows the characters to be goofy, sarcastic, and/or clumsy while still maintaining their humanity. The romantic side of the story is both deeply felt (Fabrega and Nefā€™s developing relationship) and sardonic (Kranzā€™s pining, instead of cute like in most romantic comedies, is treated as weird and stalker-ish).

Sold, right? Watch the first episode below and check out the full series, available now!

Tune in to the podcast to hear Salovaara and I speak about the series and why itā€™s personal to her, plus tips ā€™n tricks for film festivals and the wild wild web series west.

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