Queer Habits

Directed By Drew Denny

The unbelievably true story of a troupe of drag queen nuns who save a rural, homophobic community from ruin.


  • ABOUT
  • BIO
  • SCREENINGS
  • AWARDS

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence are a world-wide organization of queer nuns committed to community service, promoting joy and ridding the world of guilt. The Russian River Sisters established an Order in Guerneville, California despite local opposition and homophobic bullying. They have raised over a quarter million dollars in a town where many residents live below the poverty line, supporting schools, seniors, incarcerated parents, terminally ill children and more. They are now hometown heroes.

Drew Denny has been following the Russian River Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence since 2014, filming for a feature documentary project and releasing a short proof of concept film that toured festivals worldwide, winning several audience awards. She is currently fundraising for the feature documentary and developing a narrative adaptation with writer Jaclyn Moore (Dear White People) under Marta Kaufman’s shingle OK Goodnight.

In these times of unprecedented division, QUEER HABITS is a true story that proves we can come together again.

A 2022 Sundance Fellow and MacArthur grantee, Drew Denny directs narrative, documentary and commercials. Harper’s Bazaar called her one woman show turned Academy Award nominated podcast Asking For It “a Fleabag fix in a post-Fleabag world,” and Marta Kaufman’s shingle OK Goodnight is producing a narrative television series based on her documentary Queer Habits—following drag queen nuns who save a rural homophobic community from ruin. Her first feature won Best Feature, Best First Feature and Best Cinematography in its 50-festival run, earning her a spot in The Advocate’s “40 Under 40” list, where she was named “an auteur to watch.” Her most recent narrative film Momster, starring Amanda Plummer and Brianna Hildebrand, premiered in Competition at the Tribeca Film Festival where it was selected for their debut Pride program and called “Tarantino and Nicolas Refn’s queer feminist love child.” In over a dozen documentaries, she has secured unprecedented access to subjects as diverse as drag queen nuns in California, abortion clinics in Texas, climate change refugees in the Maldives, NASA scientists in Greenland and sex changing fish in the Pacific Ocean.

Frameline Film Festival 2015

Outfest Film Festival 2015

Best Documentary Short