THE INSPIRATION

I grew up in Miami where it was hot in every way imaginable.

SEX – and it’s on-again, off-again partner, shame – were everywhere, not just on South Beach.

And so were perpetually outraged católicos.

I’ve always been fascinated by that contradiction: a Latine culture that can be deeply religious and wildly sensual, sometimes in the very same person.

OUR LADY OF SHAME is my way of exploring that contradiction through comedy.

I want the film to feel heightened, colorful and a little magical. Think AMÉLIE mixed with the religious humor of CHRONICLES OF A WANDERING SAINT. (And if you haven’t seen these film gems, I forgive you.)

At its heart, OUR LADY OF SHAME is about unlearning inherited shame, making peace with faith, and giving yourself permission to experience joy. Amen!

THE STORY

When ANGELA MORALES’s Dominican grandmother discovers condoms in her purse and suffers a fatal heart attack, a guilt-ridden Angela vows to remain celibate until marriage... 

For seven lonely years, her constant companion is the family’s Virgen de la Altagracia medallion—which talks in her deceased abuela’s voice and polices her every romantic impulse. 

Everything changes when Pope Francis declares sexual pleasure a gift from God and Angela decides it’s finally time to have sex. 

With a flirty bodega guy in her sights -- and a chorus of meddling virgins and saints in her way -- Angela must choose between inherited shame and a faith of her own.

THE MOTIVATION

Why are we making this film? Honestly, because shame is exhausting. And also, occasionally, hilarious.

OUR LADY OF SHAME grew out of a question I’ve been wrestling with for years: What happens when the rules you were raised with—about sex, religion, family, and what it means to be a “good”—suddenly change?

As the daughter of Dominican immigrants, I grew up in a culture where Catholicism wasn’t just something you practiced on Sundays. It was in the house. On the walls. Around your neck. And, sometimes, inside your head offering unsolicited opinions.

Our team fell in love with this story because beneath the talking saints, meddling Virgen medallion, and one woman’s increasingly complicated attempt to end seven years of celibacy, there’s something very real: the struggle to stop living according to other people’s morals.

We want to make a funny, warm, visually distinctive film about desire, faith, family, and finally giving yourself permission to make choices based on your own beliefs. 

And if we can make you laugh while dismantling generations of Catholic guilt? Even better.

THE CAST

SASHA MERCI is a Dominican-American actress, comedian, and digital creator known for her viral social media content, appearances on platforms like HBO and Fuse, and co-founding the Dominican stand-up showcase Morir Soñando. She grew up in the Bronx and uses her platform to highlight Dominican culture and advocate for representation in entertainment. She’s starred in features and shorts alike – from HBO’s De Lo Mío to Gianfranco Fernandez-Ruiz’s short WHEN BIG PEOPLE LIE, which screened at AFI’s Conservatory Showcase in 2024.

Rossmery "Boquita" Almonte is a pioneering Dominican actress and comedian whose work spans decades — from the ’90s comedy classic NUEBA YOL to the critically acclaimed TV series GORDITA CHRONICLES. A beloved figure in Dominican entertainment, she has built a career bringing her singular comedic presence to film, television, and the stage.

Alycia Pascual-Peña is an American actress of Dominican descent known for playing Aisha Garcia in the Peacock comedy series Saved by the Bell and Lucy in the Netflix film Moxie. A rising talent in film and television, she has quickly distinguished herself with performances that are both comedic and deeply grounded.

Christopher Rivas is an actor, author, and storyteller best known for starring as Oscar on the FOX comedy CALL ME KAT opposite Mayim Bialik. His screen credits also include GREY’S ANATOMY, NEW AMSTERDAM, GLOW, and 2 BROKE GIRLS.

THE MONEY

We’re shooting OUR LADY OF SHAME at the end of SEPTEMBER! So your contribution isn’t going into some mysterious “someday we’ll make a movie” fund. This baby is happening NOW.

What we’re seeking to raise is just part of the money we need to make this thing – half will come from me because I believe in putting my money where my mouth is. And no, I’m not giving myself any perks – other than the priceless gift of seeing my vision realized.

The money we raise will go to items you’ll see on screen and to the people who make the magic happen. That means feeding our hardworking cast and crew, building Angela’s very Dominican Bronx apartment, wardrobe and hair & makeup, camera and lighting equipment, sound, transportation, and bringing our opinionated Virgen de Altagracia medallion to life through visual effects. After we wrap, the money will help pay for editing, sound mixing, color correction, music, and festival submissions -- because making the movie is only half the battle. Then we have to get people to see it.

Every contribution, whether it buys a crew lunch or helps pay for a day of camera equipment, becomes something tangible that ends up on screen.

Our goal is simple: raise the money now, shoot in September, finish the film this fall, and send OUR LADY OF SHAME out into the world in 2027.

Preferably with considerably less shame than we started with.