Bio
Sarah Kelly, born in Los Angeles, came of age in the film business during the exciting independent film boom of the early ‘90’s. Armed with only two film classes under her belt, she managed to get an internship as a production assistant on the TNT miniseries GETTYSBURG, by handing the producer a copy of her UC Santa Cruz valedictorian speech and a list of restaurants that she’d waitressed in.
After 3 months in the production trenches in Gettysburg, Kelly returned to Los Angeles and was hired as a production assistant on Roger Avary’s KILLING ZOE, starring Eric Stoltz and executive produced by Quentin Tarantino. It was on KILLING ZOE that Kelly realized her passion for directing. Roger Avary and Eric Stoltz became her generous mentors and suggested that Kelly come on board the crew of their next film, PULP FICTION.
While on the set of PULP FICTION, Kelly reverently paid attention to every aspect of the filmmaking process. She took to interviewing Quentin Tarantino, Bruce Willis, John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson and Eric Stoltz, asking them what they felt made a good director. She even got to interview her idol, Richard Linklater, when he came to visit the set, and they struck up a letter-writing correspondence and friendship.
Tarantino took note of Kelly’s enthusiasm and journalistic approach to finding out about the film business, and offered her her first directing gig: chronicling the making of FROM DUSK TIL DAWN.
Kelly’s feature length directorial debut FULL TILT BOOGIE was the result of that opportunity, and it was subsequently bought by Miramax. FULL TILT BOOGIE premiered in Austin at the SXSW Film festival, and was introduced by none other than Richard Linklater. The film went on to enjoy an international film festival tour and was released theatrically by Miramax in 1997. FULL TILT BOOGIE continues to be named on Top Ten Documentaries About Film lists, and is also shown in some film schools.
The early ‘00’s found Kelly writing and developing both TV and films. She sold a pilot script WAITING IN VENICE to Warner Brothers, and later optioned her first feature length script THE BLESSED VIRGINS, based on her years in Catholic School, to Avenue Pictures. THE BLESSED VIRGINS also received attention from Madonna's company, Maverick Films. Sarah was hired to write the feature length screenplay, VALET DAYS, and spent a year as their "resident writer" developing various projects.
At the end of 2005, Kelly co-wrote and directed her first narrative feature, THE LATHER EFFECT, starring Connie Britton, Tate Donovan, Peter Facinelli, Ione Skye, and her mentor Eric Stoltz, who also co-produced. The film enjoyed a fantastic festival run, premiering at the LA Film Festival, traveling again to SXSW, and ending up in Sonoma where it won “Best Lounge Feature.” THE LATHER EFFECT was bought and released by Anchor Bay.
In 2009, Kelly debuted her most important production, daughter Caroline Kelly Prough, and dove into motherhood while continuing to write and develop projects. In 2012, Kelly directed the feature-length documentary PALISADES PARADE, which is a love letter to the modern day Mayberry where she grew up. PALISADES PARADE also pays tribute, most notably, to the alarming amount of young lives lost to tragedy in a section of the film called “The Dark Side of Paradise.”
Kelly is currently writing and developing various projects, including HOOKED ON A FEELING, which is loosely based on her experiences working on PULP FICTION; THE HOTEL STOWELL, a ghost story set in both modern day and 1920’s Downtown Los Angeles; and THROW YOUR ARMS AROUND ME, a coming of age story set in Sydney, Australia, where Kelly spent much of her childhood and enjoys dual citizenship.