Carol Conley's short film PENITENCE
2016 InterviewsInterviews

Interview: Carol Conley on Directing Her Short Film ‘Penitence’

Evan Crean

Recently I had the opportunity to interview first-time filmmaker Carol Conley for NewEnglandFilm.com about her short Penitence, which is playing at the Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival.

Conley came up with the idea for the short years ago and kept it in a drawer until she found the inspiration she needed to complete it – the right actor. Once she met the woman she wanted for her lead, she set out to refine her idea into one that she hoped would capture the actor’s interest. Conley shot Penitence over the course of the day, but she spent hundreds of hours editing it.

We spoke about about how she came up with the idea for Penitence, her process as a first-time filmmaker, and the reasons why this project is so important to her.

Read the interview here.

Evan Crean

Hello! My name is Evan Crean. By day I work for a marketing agency, but by night, I’m a film critic based in Boston, MA. Since 2009, I have written hundreds of movie reviews and celebrity interviews for Starpulse.com. I have also contributed pieces to NewEnglandFilm.com and to The Independent, as a writer and editor. I maintain an active Letterboxd account too. In addition to publishing short form work, I am a co-author of the book Your ’80s Movie Guide to Better Living, which is available on CreateSpace and Amazon. The book is the first in a series of lighthearted self-help books for film fans, which distills advice from ’80s movies on how to tackle many of life’s challenges. On top of writing, I co-host and edit the weekly film podcast Spoilerpiece Theatre with two other Boston film critics. I’m a founding member and the current treasurer for the Boston Online Film Critics Association as well. This site, Reel Recon.com, is a one-stop-shop where you can find links to all of my past and present work. Have any questions or comments after checking it out? Please feel free to email me (Evan Crean) at: ecrean AT reelrecon DOT COM .