Picture this: Gypsy Rose Lee meets Grey Gardens meets Sisterhood of the Traveling Underpants ... with a dash of Fiddler on the Roof.
This is the extraordinary story of outsider artists, Nita & Zita, who blazed a trail to international stardom, then became eccentric recluses, weaving their mythology into the very fabric of New Orleans.
The story of Nita & Zita is a tale of marginalized women who lived by their own rules, jewish immigrants on the fringes of society, burlesque dancers, and trailblazers. It is a story of mystery, intrigue, glamour, stardom, poverty, loneliness, and most of all, the extraordinary love and devotion of sisters.
It is also the story of two ecstatic muses, who inspired countless artists. Nita & Zita are the patron saints of all those with a burning desire to create. These artists recognize themselves in Nita & Zita as the ultimate bohemian outsider artists.
Nita & Zita performed all over the world before retiring to a creole cottage in New Orleans where they became eccentric recluses, but they weren’t done creating. They painted their house top to bottom with flowers and polka dots and surrounded themselves with photos from their dancer days.
After they died, their neighbor found thousands of hand-sewn costumes, dolls, dresses, and art that were then sold in a yard sale that lasted 5 years.
Many artists in New Orleans and around the world own Nita & Zita costume pieces, where they are now literally woven into the fabric of the city.
Nita & Zita are buried in the pauper’s section of the Hebrew Rest Cemetery in New Orleans.
Filmmakers Marci Darling and Sharon Gillen are passionate about smashing Jewish stereotypes, gender stereotypes, dancer stereotypes, and socioeconomic injustices through innovative visual storytelling.
This film will shine a new light on an aspect of American history and culture that is rarely illuminated, the stories of burlesque dancers, acrobats, contortionists, and the people who dare to step into the ring and take big risks in order to make their living as performers.
Dancers are ephemeral — when they die, their art goes with them, unless someone tells their story.
We are telling their story.
Picture this: Gypsy Rose Lee meets Grey Gardens meets Sisterhood of the Traveling Underpants ... with a dash of Fiddler on the Roof.
This is the extraordinary story of outsider artists, Nita & Zita, who blazed a trail to international stardom, then became eccentric recluses, weaving their mythology into the very fabric of New Orleans.
The story of Nita & Zita is a tale of marginalized women who lived by their own rules, jewish immigrants on the fringes of society, burlesque dancers, and trailblazers. It is a story of mystery, intrigue, glamour, stardom, poverty, loneliness, and most of all, the extraordinary love and devotion of sisters.
It is also the story of two ecstatic muses, who inspired countless artists. Nita & Zita are the patron saints of all those with a burning desire to create. These artists recognize themselves in Nita & Zita as the ultimate bohemian outsider artists.
Nita & Zita performed all over the world before retiring to a creole cottage in New Orleans where they became eccentric recluses, but they weren’t done creating. They painted their house top to bottom with flowers and polka dots and surrounded themselves with photos from their dancer days.
After they died, their neighbor found thousands of hand-sewn costumes, dolls, dresses, and art that were then sold in a yard sale that lasted 5 years.
Many artists in New Orleans and around the world own Nita & Zita costume pieces, where they are now literally woven into the fabric of the city.
Nita & Zita are buried in the pauper’s section of the Hebrew Rest Cemetery in New Orleans.
Filmmakers Marci Darling and Sharon Gillen are passionate about smashing Jewish stereotypes, gender stereotypes, dancer stereotypes, and socioeconomic injustices through innovative visual storytelling.
This film will shine a new light on an aspect of American history and culture that is rarely illuminated, the stories of burlesque dancers, acrobats, contortionists, and the people who dare to step into the ring and take big risks in order to make their living as performers.
Dancers are ephemeral — when they die, their art goes with them, unless someone tells their story.
We are telling their story.
