(Photos courtesy Abbie Reese, MFA’13)

Un-convent-ional

Abbie Reese, MFA’13, completes the filming of her new documentary, Chosen: Custody of the Eyes.

In Dedicated to God: An Oral History of Cloistered Nuns, in bookstores now, the nuns whom Abbie Reese, MFA’13, interviews retain their anonymity by using aliases. Now Reese has completed the filming of a feature-length documentary titled Chosen: Custody of the Eyes. Describing the differences between the book and the film, Reese says, “The book itself was like a study, that it was a way for me to truly understand the culture and establish really strong trust and negotiate how to respect their values.” The documentary, by contrast, is “like an unhinging, and it’s a more creative process.” The documentary, she says, delves deeper into the nuns’ everyday, as opposed to the larger moments in their lives.

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The nuns took footage of their own lives inside the monastery. This new look into their cloistered existence is unprecedented, and the intimate access to the monastery offers a new take on religion in a modern era. The nuns staged scenes to be filmed, such as their daily chores, and recorded video diaries about their experience being cloistered. The documentary is a much more collaborative effort when compared to the book; the nuns have complete control over the direction of the documentary.

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To cover the costs of postproduction work, Reese set up a project on the crowdfunding website Indiegogo. To encourage donations, she includes as giveaways items made by the nuns, such as handmade rosary beads, which are sent to those who donate $20. Among the other perks are retreats to monasteries in Santa Barbara, California, and Boston, and DVDs and photographic prints. The Indiegogo campaign runs through September 17.