Q&A with Filmmaker Kristin Kirkley, Writer-Director of From Here, It’s Heaven

Sep 18

Written By mark wantoe

From Here, It’s Heaven • New York Premiere • BFF 2026

In Kristin Kirkley’s New York premiere, From Here, It’s Heaven, a dystopian present finds the government assigning citizens their rapture times. When Jane receives her notice, she has 24 hours to prepare for her departure—an intimate countdown that turns toward questions of faith, death, crisis, and what we leave behind.

A Brooklyn-based filmmaker, editor, and long-time comedian, Kirkley makes her narrative directorial debut with this satirical dramedy. She reflects on inherited memory, making a first film with close collaborators, the precarity that shadowed post-production, and the faith required to keep building toward a future.

Tell us about the moment this film began for you.

Easter Sunday 2025, I was on the bus, heading home from my restaurant job in Red Hook, and just feeling really broke and defeated. I finally pressed play on the digitized file of the tape of my Grandfather's final Easter sermon from 1985. It was the first time I had ever heard my grandfather's voice. The recording really humanized the legacy of this figure, who had only existed for me through photo albums and family lore. It got me thinking about all the objects and generational storytelling preserved over the years, and how many miracles it took to keep that history alive so I could experience it in that moment.

What scene, character, image, or idea was the key that unlocked the film for you?

My overall theme for the film, going into production, was ascension. Physically and spiritually, this character and the camera move towards the heavens.

From Here, It’s Heaven Trailer

Why did this story feel important for you to tell now?

So much about our socio-political moment is so uncertain. I think a lot of people are looking around at their lives and thinking, "This isn't the world I expected to be living in" or "This isn't the moment I thought I would be living through." The film's main character finds so much value strewn across her physical space and has saved these items for a reason. But the moment forces her to face the physical impermanence and precarity of it all.

What was the biggest creative challenge or risk you took in making the film?

This film was made on a $0 budget, shot almost entirely in my living room, and it's my first film as a director. It was a big ask of my collaborators, John Henri Coene (cinematographer) and Aspen Nelson (production designer), to trust that this project was worth their time and energy, and I couldn't have made this film without them.

Was there a point when you weren’t sure you would finish the film? What kept you going?

In January 2026, the restaurant where I worked closed, and I was living on unemployment. Then the ceiling in my bedroom fell down because of a leak from the roof, and my dog and I were sleeping on the living room floor, surrounded by all my earthly possessions. I was managing the post-production process from the kitchen table. In that moment, everything about my future (not just the film) felt so impossible and far away. It felt incredibly ironic that my life was looking more and more like the world of the character we had created for the film. Finishing the project really gave me a purpose and reason to get off the floor in the morning (literally and spiritually).

What surprised you most about the film as it evolved from the original idea to the finished work?

Much of what I initially imagined for the film made it into the final form. What surprised and delighted me throughout the process was how much specificity and visual/auditory detail we added through collaboration. The team (both on set and in post) put a lot of care into the final details, which I think made the narrative world extremely vivid. There are so many Easter eggs and details that I think warrant repeat viewings.

What do you hope audiences take away from experiencing the film?

I hope the film is a cathartic experience for the audience. I have no true solutions for how to navigate this moment in history other than believing in the value and beauty of human struggle and perseverance. More than anything, I want the film to stand as a testament to the value of objects and "analog" memories as our collective memories become increasingly digital.

Is there a particular scene or moment you’re especially excited for audiences to experience at BFF?

Without giving it away... There's one particular moment of humor in the film that I imagined before we started production and kind of forgot about until my final pass in the edit. I'm so glad I added it back in, and I really look forward to hearing the audience reaction to that one moment every time I screen the film.

Has showing the film to audiences changed the way you understand it? If so, how?

Making your friends cry shouldn't be a source of pride, but... as a long-time comedian, filmmaking has given me the tools to inject more pathos and gravitas into my artistic output.

Is there anything about this film, its inspiration, production, or your own journey that you think audiences or journalists should know?

It's been a long journey.

Based on your experience, what advice would you give to filmmakers just starting out?

Just start. Don't do it alone. Stay curious. Follow the joy. Feed your team.

What are you working on or developing next?

I'm honored to have been selected as one of two interns with American Cinema Editors (ACE) in NYC this fall. I am a self-taught editor, and I've built my workflow around micro-budget indie filmmaking. It's been a lot of unsupervised trial and error. I'm excited to shadow veteran editors and assistant editors with decades of experience on major studio/network projects, sharpen my skill set, and apply that new knowledge to my process.

What film, TV show, or other piece of storytelling did you see this year that you absolutely loved?

"Glowing" by filmmaker Beth B, "The Wrong Girls," a theater production of Woyzeck staged by Adult Film theater company.

If you’ve been to Bushwick the neighborhood, what do you love most about it?

I've lived and worked in the neighborhood for 11 years. I've seen things change, and I've seen things stay the same. I owe so much to my neighbors and the communities I've had the privilege of being a part of over the years. A lot of people in Bushwick are doing so much with very few resources, but they put so much value into the world because the focus continues to be on community. If I'm broke or lonely or both, I have places to go and people to see within walking distance of my front door that inspire me to keep going and keep finding joy and beauty in the journey. It's a gift that keeps on giving.

What does “Make Time for Your Dreams” mean to you at this point in your creative life?

Having a dream or a goal also means imagining a future in which that dream is made manifest. Human ingenuity is a renewable resource that can sustain you even in the most dismal circumstances. For me, “making time for your dreams,” is an act of faith in the future and a practice of exercising that ingenuity. It’s the cheat code to life, I think. Using the finite time you have to build towards a better future somehow creates more time and also a better future. Deciding to make 'From Here, It's Heaven' was an act of faith — I had to trust the process without knowing where it would lead. Showing something that was once just an idea to the Bushwick Film Festival audience, and hopefully more audiences after, feels like one more example that “making time for your dreams” is worth it.

See From Here, It’s Heaven at BFF 2026

NEW YORK PREMIERE

Thursday • October 8, 2026 • 7:00 PM

Uncharted

Williamsburg Cinemas

In a dystopian present, the government assigns rapture times, and citizens await their ascension. Today, Jane receives her notice. She has 24 hours to prepare for her departure from this earthly realm.

GET TICKETS → https://www.bushwickfilmfestival.com/tickets

The 19th Annual Bushwick Film Festival returns October 7–11, 2026, bringing filmmakers and audiences together for five days of independent film, conversation, and community across Brooklyn.

Kristin Kirkley is a Brooklyn-based filmmaker, editor, and long-time comedian whose work blends visual precision with character-driven humor and emotional intimacy.

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SEE IT AT BFF 2026

From Here, It’s Heaven