It took 13 years for this story to become a film.
And strangely… now is the perfect moment for it.
In this video below I share why and what happens next.
This film only exists because of an incredible group of people who donated their time, talent, and money to make it happen. The list is huge and I can’t tag everyone here, but I’m deeply grateful to all of you. 🙏
We also reopened donations to help cover film festival submission fees and bring this story to more screens.
Watch the story.
I can’t believe that in just 20 days, it will be one year since we shot the first day of The Fat Lady - She Just Wanted to Be Called by Her Name.
"Shouldn’t it be ready by now?"
"Didn’t you plan to premiere it last year here in Indy?"
"Weren’t you going to submit it to film festivals this year?"
Trust me, I would have loved to follow the original plan. But here's what I've learned these last 3 years: Plans are important, but letting go and trusting the Universe, God, or whatever source you believe in is just as important.
As someone who tends to control everything (and I mean EVERYTHING), letting go has been tough, but I'm learning. Slowly. 😅
The journey hasn’t been easy—believing in myself to make this film happen, finding resources, building a team, and overcoming two cancers within two years. I’d say I’ve done pretty good so far.
This image was taken today as I’m (re)starting to look over the first draft that the beloved Rafael sent me in June—right before I had to pause everything due to unexpected surgeries. When I saw it again, even without color correction and other final touches, I couldn’t help but tear up. It’s just... amazing.
Indie film is for the brave. It’s for those who want to shake the status quo and make a difference by telling stories that are sometimes hard to tell.
Music has always been a part of my life—not just for the fun and simple pleasure of listening and singing along, but because my dad was a musician and music producer. So, my understanding of music goes beyond that; he would talk to me about legends like Henry Mancini and Quincy Jones. We’d discuss music created for films and TV, and I was always fascinated by it. In fact, I would buy film soundtracks just to enjoy the music from certain movies.
That’s why, for my first short film, The Fat Lady - She Just Wanted to Be Called by Her Name (coming soon!), music played a crucial role in the scene creation process. I’m so grateful to have been able to work with artists I admire, who kindly allowed me to use their incredible songs in the film.
Special thanks to Helena Cutter for her sexy and witty track "Your Time is Over," and the talented guys from Wonderhills for "Outside in the Morning," "Reflections" (so beautiful), and "Rogue Wind."
You can listen to all these tracks here or on the playlist below. I can’t wait for you all to hear them!
XO,
Rita Avellar
