Overview

Saint Libby is a comedic short film for anyone whose family drives them crazy.

It’s a story inspired by my experiences growing up in a large Catholic family in Oklahoma and highlights the universal lessons I’ve learned from those specific experiences.

Logline: When her uptight nun aunt threatens to ruin her fun summer day, 16-year-old Libby will do whatever it takes to get her out of the church and into the car.

Director's Statement

I love a ridiculous story. Ridiculous situations can make you laugh, and often, when something makes me really angry, it’s because that situation is ridiculous.

I am angry. At a lot of things. All the time. Even if it feels absurd. But I realized something: I can process the ridiculous, absurd parts of my life by seeing the humor in them. 

I don’t know anyone else who has an aunt who is a nun, like Libby, much less two, like me. When mine would visit, I didn’t have to drive them around all summer, but I did have to dress differently, pray differently, and my world was put somewhat on pause. 

I know this is a really specific life experience, but the themes explored in this film–independence, identity, unexpected friendships, letting go of the desire to change people, and finding the good in others despite our differences–are universal. 

Our goal in making Saint Libby is to be ridiculous - to make you laugh. And amid that laughter, maybe you’ll find parts of yourself in a 16-year-old girl and a Catholic nun.

Tone and Feel

Saint Libby draws visual inspiration from coming-of-age comedy Booksmart for its realistic film with pops of color.

Saint Libby draws tonal inspiration from the comedy series Derry Girls for its ridiculousness – specifically its wry humor, witty dialogue, and emphasis on female friendships. It also draws tonal inspiration from Lady Bird for its poignancy with Catholicism and hometown specificity.

Why now?

How did I go from working on the same floor as SNL writers in 30 Rock to mopping the gym floor for my middle school science teacher in the span of a year? With absolutely terrible timing. After working as an NBC Page in New York, I moved to Los Angeles in 2023 with the hopes of working as a production assistant, but just a few months later, the WGA strike began, and production shut down. After months without a job and with my lease renewal imminent, my finances demanded I return to Tulsa, move back in with my parents, and get a job at a local non-profit.

I always thought I had to be closer to the action to be closer to achieving my dreams, but somehow I feel more like a writer in Oklahoma than I did when I lived ten minutes from Universal and Warner Brothers. After moving back to Oklahoma, I got into film festivals throughout the state. With each live script reading at festivals, more and more people encouraged me to make a short film and helped me understand the career-altering effects that it could have. A completed short film that I wrote will establish my reputation as an artist, be used as a proof of concept to help me pitch a full-length pilot episode, and give me the opportunity to connect with and learn from other Oklahoma filmmakers as the industry in the state continues to grow.

Why this story?

My whole life, I have relied on the power of creativity. I grew up in a Catholic family in Oklahoma with strict rules about movies and no cable television, so I started writing my own scripts. When my scripts were featured in festivals throughout Oklahoma, I was surprised that the most specific things that I wrote about were the most relatable to the audience.

My specific life experience is having two aunts who are nuns, which gave me the idea for a comedic “odd couple” of a teenage girl who longs for independence paired with her traditional nun aunt.

I want my short film to encourage audiences to relate to someone who has a different lived experience than they do and hopefully, make them laugh.

Budget

We’ve meticulously budgeted Saint Libby to be as cost-effective as possible. As a result, our crowdfunding goal covers exactly what we need to successfully create Saint Libby. 

Making a short film is expensive! A short film is a laborious project that requires hired cast and crew for their time, energy, gear, and hard work. Paying our cast and crew is over half of our budget. We couldn’t have created our budget without the willingness and generosity of our crew to offer their expertise and skills at an affordable rate.

The total budget of Saint Libby is $7,000. We already have $3,000 of the budget covered through personal donations of private funding. To successfully create Saint Libby, we need $4,000. This is where you come in to help. $4,000 covers the rest of compensation for cast and crew, equipment rentals, food for cast and crew on set, and post-production, including color grading, editing, sound mixing, and an original score. Every dollar is vital to bringing Saint Libby to life.

Team

Anna Hanisch - Writer/Co-director

Anna Hanisch is a writer and director who has lived too many lives in her 26 years. When she drives down a traffic-less Tulsa street now, it’s easy for her to forget the times she was white-knuckling it in LA as a production assistant  or running through the streets of New York in the rain on an errand for a studio executive.

After graduating from Oklahoma State University with a degree in strategic communications, Anna was accepted into the NBCUniversal Page Program in New York. There, she worked fan favorite late night shows like The Tonight Show and Saturday Night Live.

After completing the Page Program, Anna moved to Los Angeles, where she worked as an additional production assistant on Barbie and Joker: Folie a Deux. She then returned to the studio side of the industry as a temp coordinator at Universal Television Drama Development, where she read as many scripts as she could to study her craft. After the writers’ and actors’ strikes shut down production for the rest of 2023, she returned home to Tulsa, where she found employment as a creative assistant at her favorite nonprofit, Little Light House.

Since returning to Oklahoma, Anna has found success in writing with her pilot episode for “Saint Libby,” which won Best Screenplay at the Dancing Turtle Film & Screenplay Festival and Best Episodic Script at the Red Brick Road Film Festival.

If Anna has learned anything, it’s that there is no one path in this industry, but she hopes her destination is a showrunner for comedy series’ much like her favorites: Derry Girls and Fleabag.

Chloé Ryan - Co-director

Chloé Ryan is an ambitious storyteller with a penchant for people. A writer, producer, actress, and director for both stage and screen, she has spent the past three years on set or in the production office on projects for Disney, Apple TV+, Netflix, Hulu, and Peacock. She is currently directing a documentary titled "Wildfire" that highlights four women who form an unbreakable bond during their fight for justice against a practiced predator and a legal system that has abused them all, time and time again. 

Chloé is curious about the world and approaches her work with the same attitude. Based out of New York City but born and raised in Oklahoma, she is excited to make a film so close to her roots.

Matt Hanisch - Producer and Editor

Matt Hanisch is an Oklahoma-born, LA-based editor and producer with a passion for creating engaging, insightful stories through filmmaking. Matt’s journey through the industry has taken him from the West Coast to the Great Plains and back. After graduating from the University of Southern California with a degree in Film & TV Production, Matt started his career as a West Coast Page at NBCUniversal and flew back home to Tulsa almost immediately after completing the program to work on Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon. Since then, Matt has returned to LA to work in post-production on several films for Amblin and Netflix, including The Fabelmans and Carry-On.

Whether he’s on set or in the cutting room, Matt brings a calm, level-headed presence to every project he works on. His work as an editor on short films, music videos, and documentaries has been selected for various festivals, including the PlayHouse West Film Festival, Golden State Film Festival, BLASTOFF, and San Diego Film Week, and has been featured on EWTN, "Now This," and the St. Jude Children's Hospital official Facebook page.

Zoya Ansari - Producer

Zoya Ansari is a writer/actor from Alpharetta, Georgia, currently based in New York City. This summer, she will make her international debut at Edinburgh’s Fringe Festival in the stage production of “Saloon Girls.” Alongside her good friend, she also recently completed a short screenplay titled “Aisle Nine,” and hopes to see the film into fruition in 2026. While she may not yet call herself a producer, she’s excited and ready to extend this new arm of hers after working on the production staff and in the additional crew of multiple live productions and short films, including Late Night with Seth Meyers, Saturday Night Live, Michael Buble’s Christmas in the City and the 2023 short film “The Sacrifice.” 

For the past two years, she worked as a Writers’ Production Assistant at Late Night with Seth Meyers after graduating from NBCUniversal’s Page Program. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Film Studies from The George Washington University’s School of Media and Public Affairs, where she also worked as the Social Media Coordinator for the school. In her free time, she enjoys writing, reading, and exploring different neighborhoods in Brooklyn.

Angelina Feronti - Producer

Angelina Feronti is a writer and producer. She has produced award-winning documentaries, independent shorts, and commercials. She holds a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in creative writing from Oklahoma City University and two undergraduate degrees from the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts, in film & television production and cinema & media studies.

Angelina’s credits include assistant to the director on “Heaven’s Gate: The Cult of Cults” on Max, associate producer and field producer on “Ada Twist, Scientist” on Netflix, and associate producer on THE BITTER PILL, a documentary feature. She has produced short films nominated for awards at the 2020 Palm Springs International Film Festival and the 2020 National Film Festival. Most recently, three of her produced commercials have been awarded bronze and gold at the 2025 and 2024 American Advertising Awards, for clients Chickasaw Country, Fowler Automotive, and Lower Bricktown. After living in Los Angeles for six years, she now lives in her hometown Oklahoma City because she missed thunderstorms and Braum’s.

Carlo Tonda - Cinematographer

Carlo Tonda is a Guatemalan cinematographer currently based out of Los Angeles, CA.

Mostly known for his frequent collaborations in the documentary space with notable names like Prime-time Emmy winner Greg Whiteley (Last Chance U and Cheer), Carlo is also a regular camera operator for notable cinematographer Lisa Rinzler, whose documentary short “Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone, If You're a Girl” won the Academy Award in 2020. Together, they filmed the feature documentary that premiered in this year’s AFI Fest, Walk With Me, directed by Heidi Levitt (JFK, The Artist, Nixon)

Carlo’s recent credits include America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, which debuted in Netflix’s US Top 10 chart at #1. His previous project, Wrestlers, garnered major critical success, making the “Top 10 Best 2022 Netflix Shows” by The Hollywood Reporter. His accolades include the 2023 Golden Telly for his work on the commercial “The Gift of Time” for Hospital Non-Profit Adventist Health.

Risks & Challenges

Film projects are susceptible to delays and challenges. Making a short film requires a team of dedicated people who are available to come together at a confirmed location. We’re working tirelessly to coordinate two densely packed shoot days in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Some of our crew are flying into Tulsa from Los Angeles and New York City, as well as traveling from Oklahoma City and across the state. Unforeseen circumstances can always occur for film projects, which require immense planning for real locations, people, transportation, and accommodations. 

Additionally, Oklahoma’s unpredictable weather, including severe storms, hail, and tornados, means that unforeseen delays are a possibility. We’re prepared to adapt and we’re committed to managing these risks and completing the film, even if it means adjusting our timeline. Our production team is prepared and determined to have a completed version of the film by Fall 2025, with our current schedule targeting picture lock by June 2025 and festival submissions by Fall 2025. Thank you for trusting our team to complete this project. We look forward to sharing it with you and the world as soon as possible!

Other Ways You Can Help

We appreciate every dollar you can contribute to our project. With the rising costs of living, we understand that a financial contribution may not be possible for you, and that’s ok! If you’d still like to support our project in other ways, please share our campaign on social media to spread the word about Saint Libby. Thank you for your support!