Filmmaker
Through film, Marci explores real stories, meaningful relationships, and the human experiences that connect us. Her work brings intimate, thoughtfully told stories to the screen with curiosity, heart, and a deeply personal perspective.
The Nita & Zita Project
Marci Darling’s directorial debut is this award-winning documentary telling the extraordinary story of Jewish sisters in the 1920’s who rose to international burlesque stardom, then became recluses and transformed into the ultimate New Orleans eccentrics.
Their journey, marked by both the dazzle of the spotlight and the shadows of solitude, is a testament to their unbreakable bond and their vibrant heritage. The film is designed to challenge Jewish stereotypes and gender norms, illuminating a slice of American culture rarely seen—the lives of burlesque dancers, acrobats, contortionists, and the courageous performers who dare to dream under the spotlight.
From Archive to Documentary
Marci Darling’s research on the sisters took her from New England to New York City to New Orleans to Romania. It was published in the peer-reviewed academic Journal of Southern Jewish History.
Recognition for the Work
From filmmaking and storytelling to education and creative work, The Nita & Zita Project has earned recognition from organizations and audiences who value meaningful, original, and impactful work.
Picture this: Gypsy Rose Lee meets Grey Gardens meets The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants … with a dash of Fiddler on the Roof.
Nita & Zita’s “eccentric” dance performances were in such high demand they headed out to dance all over the world, before retiring to a creole cottage in New Orleans where they became eccentric recluses who painted their house top to bottom with flowers and polka dots and surrounded themselves with photos from their dancer days.
After they died, their neighbor found thousands of hand-sewn costumes that were then sold in an estate sale that lasted 5 years.
Many artists in New Orleans own Nita & Zita costume pieces, where they are now literally woven into the fabric of the city.
This is the extraordinary story of outsider artists who blazed a trail to international stardom, then became eccentric recluses, weaving their mythology into the very fabric of New Orleans and leaving behind a legacy as unforgettable as the lives they lived.
Story Summary
The story of Nita & Zita is a tale of the ultimate “outsider” artists, marginalized women who lived by their own rules, globetrotting jewish immigrants who blazed their own trail as dancers. It is a story of mystery, intrigue, glamour, stardom, poverty, loneliness, and most of all, the extraordinary love and devotion of sisters. This is also the story of two muses, who inspired countless artists to create their own art.
In 1920, Piroska Gellert was reviewed in the Hungarian news as a young “dance phenomenon” performing her “barefoot oriental dances” around Transylvania. With anti-semitism growing on all sides and a homeland taken over by another country, the sisters set off to create a new life in New York City. It was 1922, and the Roaring Twenties were in full swing.
The sisters became U.S. citizens, danced all over New York City, then packed up their steamer trunks to perform all over the world: France, Shanghai, Manila, Buenos Aires, Havana, San Francisco, and Panama. In 1948, they bought a creole cottage on Dauphine Street in New Orleans where they retired from dancing.
With the current rise in antisemitism, along with immigrant and gender injustices, this is an important time to tell a story that demolishes stereotypes.
Their story could have ended there, but Nita & Zita were not done creating a rich tapestry of their lives. They became eccentric recluses, rarely interacting with the outside world, never marrying, never having children. They continued their incredible story inside their house as recluses, creating an endless stream of art: costumes, painting furniture, embroidery, sewing, crafting, etc.
The sisters are now buried in the pauper’s section of the Hebrew Rest Cemetery in New Orleans. Their funerals were only attended by one neighbor and the Rabbi.
Topic Summary
Nita & Zita is the extraordinary story of gender trailblazers, artistic devotion, marginalized women, and starry-eyed jewish immigrants. These two young girls in the 1920’s who left everything they knew to follow their dreams, forging their own path in a foreign country during a time when few women could make a living without a man to support them.
TOPICS EXPLORED:
What kind of courage does it take for two young girls to flee an increasingly hostile home country, crossing the ocean to create a new life?
What was it like to travel all over the world as dancing sisters, performing at luxurious theaters, even traveling through Berlin in the 1930’s when antisemitism was at an all-time high?
Why did the sisters decide to become recluses?
Was their isolation and poverty a tragic ending to a glamorous story? Or perhaps they actually didn’t feel isolated or poor, but felt richer and more fulfilled than most people because they had each other?
Why have these sisters captured the imaginations of renowned artists even now, a century later?
Artistic Approach
“We do not escape into philosophy, psychology, and art… we go there to restore our shattered selves into whole ones.” — Anais Nin
Marci Darling is telling the story of Nita & Zita through the lens of her own background as an ex-burlesque dancer who performed all over the world with her soul sister, Kim. As one of the artists who was so intrigued by Nita & Zita’s photos and elusive story, Marci not only fell in love with New Orleans and eventually moved there, but she based her burlesque act on them, which was performed for two years at the Viper Room in Hollywood.
Kim died 5 years ago, and this documentary is love letter to her, to Nita & Zita, and to all the women who’s voices are rarely heard. Losing Kim gives Marci a unique take on the story of Nita & Zita as less a story of poverty and isolation, and more a story of love and creating one’s own world. Additionally, she is exploring the way many different artists project their own ideas onto Nita & Zita, resonating with different parts of their stories.
Meet The Team
What began with Marci Darling’s fascination with two mysterious Jewish sisters and their extraordinary lives grew into an award-winning documentary exploring ambition, artistry, sisterhood, identity, resilience, and the freedom to create a life on your own terms.
From Marci’s spiritual connection to Nita & Zita through her own years as a burlesque dancer and performer, to the researchers, producers, creative consultants, editors, musicians, and production team who helped shape the film, each person contributed a unique perspective and talent. Together, they helped preserve the story of two women who traveled the world, broke convention, inspired generations of artists, and ultimately became part of the cultural fabric of New Orleans.
Marci Darling
Dr. Sharon Gillen
Her proudest accomplishment is raising 3 beautiful humans. She is also a lover of all things film and has served on the board of the New Orleans Film Society.
Alexandra Kern
Her creative directorial debut, short documentary Wild Magnolias, was honored by a special screening at the New Orleans Jazz Museum where it was offered a permanent stay in their historical archive.
Eva K. Morgan
Eva graduated from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in 2015 with a degree in Moving Image Arts and immediately jumped into the film scene by being mentored by local film editor Misty Talley where together they rode the wave of sharksploitation films and she cut her teeth on assembling edits (puns absolutely intended).
Alison Gordon
Malaika Stambler
Faye Tobin
Stefanie Naifeh
Tony Braunagel
JP Borreondo
Filmmakers’ Statement
Marci Darling and Sharon Gillen are passionate about smashing Jewish stereotypes, gender stereotypes, dancer stereotypes, and socioeconomic injustices through innovative visual storytelling.
The filmmakers are dedicated to telling the story of these mythical sisters in a way that touches people’s souls, inspiring new storytellers and artists to tell their stories too, to create their art, to take risks and step into the unknown, no matter their background. Moreover, this film will shine a new light on an aspect of American history and culture that is rarely illuminated, the stories of burlesque dancers, acrobats, contortionists, and the people who dare to step into the ring and take big risks in order to make their living as performers. Dancers are ephemeral — when they die, their art goes with them, unless someone tells their story. Marci and Sharon are telling their story.
Co-founded in New Orleans in 2023 by Marci Darling and Sharon Gillen to create character-driven films that explore exceptional artists and creators through the intersection of history, culture, and film. A “bearcat” is a 1920’s word for a spirited woman, and a “tango” is one of the most vibrant, passionate, expressive, and playful dances of all time.
Watch The Nita & Zita Project
Step into the extraordinary world of Nita and Zita and discover the remarkable story behind Marci Darling’s debut documentary. Choose a viewing option below to watch the film and experience their unforgettable journey.