Habit
After leaving her religious order, a young nun moves into a seedy residential hotel on the edge of LA’s skid row. While waiting for a mysterious visitor to arrive, her life unravels, and she begins to wonder if she’s made a huge and irreparable mistake.
-
Kevin W. KoehlerDirectorBlood Pulls a Gun (writer), Sundays (writer), Control/Option/Escape (writer)
-
Kevin W. KoehlerWriterBlood Pulls a Gun, Sundays, Control/Option/Escape
-
Jonathan CravenProducerThe Last House on the Left. Blessings (Big Sean featuring Drake & Kanye West)
-
Jeff KopchiaProducerEdgewood, The Derailers, Naysayer
-
Matt DooleyProducerBlood Pulls a Gun, What Lola Wants, Apricot
-
Nathan ScherrerProducerBlack Is King (Beyonce), Lemonade (Beyonce), The Hills (The Weeknd), No Tears Left To Cry (Ariana Grande)
-
Kim KoehlerProducerHabit
-
Emily GossKey Cast"The Sister"Shook, Jane and Emma, The House on Pine Street, Castle, Future Man, Snapshots
-
Colin McCallaKey Cast"The Tourist"Ruthless, The Class
-
Project Type:Short
-
Runtime:19 minutes 53 seconds
-
Completion Date:March 16, 2020
-
Production Budget:25,000 USD
-
Country of Origin:United States
-
Country of Filming:United States
-
Language:English
-
Shooting Format:Digital
-
Aspect Ratio:16:9
-
Film Color:Color
-
First-time Filmmaker:Yes
-
Student Project:No
-
LA Shorts International Film FestivalLos Angeles
United States
July 10, 2021
World Premiere
Official Selection -
Filmfestival KitzbühelKitzbühel
Austria
August 25, 2021
European Premiere
Special Jury Mention -
Boston Film FestivalBoston
United States
September 23, 2021 -
Kerry International Film FestivalKerry
Ireland
October 14, 2021
Irish Premiere
Best International Short Winner -
Orlando Film FestivalOrlando
United States
October 29, 2021
Nominee - Best Short -
Liverpool Film FestivalLiverpool
United Kingdom
November 14, 2021
U.K. Premiere
Official Selection -
Weyauwega International Film FestivalWeyauwega
United States
December 11, 2021
Midwest Premiere
Official Selection -
New Filmmakers New YorkNew York
United States
December 21, 2021 -
Santa Fe Film FestivalSanta Fe
United States
February 6, 2022
Official Selection -
Elba Film FestivalElba
Italy
September 13, 2022
Italian Premiere
Best Director Nominee
As a screenwriter, Kevin Koehler gained notoriety in 2008 with his unconventional mystery screenplay, The Phantom Limb. That script would ultimately be named to the Hollywood Blacklist and chosen by Total Film magazine as one of the top ten unproduced screenplays in Hollywood.
Since that time, Kevin has collaborated with filmmakers like Wim Wenders, Gregg Araki, and the directing team of Cary Murnion and Jon Milott. Shorts he's written have screened at SXSW, BFI London, the Melbourne International Film Festival, Palm Springs ShortFest, and the AFI Directing Workshop for Women.
He currently lives in Los Angeles writing and developing projects for television and cinema.
At its heart, this film is a mystery. The first and most obvious mystery: What is a nun doing in a seedy, residential hotel in downtown Los Angeles? Who is she waiting for, and is this person ever going to come?
The second mystery, though less obvious, goes to the heart of what the film is about: Who is this nun now that she is not a nun anymore?
This is a woman who, for much of her adult life, woke up at the exact same time, put on a habit, and followed the same hourly routine, day after day after day. Now she must learn to be someone else.
But who? Who are you without your clothes, without your things, without any certainty of purpose? Who are you when you have no money and no home, and you find yourself, for the first time, completely and utterly alone?