Message from the director of Vampira: The Movie
Maila Nurmi passed away from natural causes on January 10th, 2008 in Los Angeles. She was 86. The reason there was no official word is that there is no official source of information. She had no manager and was, most of the time, reclusive.
Friday night I made some calls to friends in Los Angeles based upon a blog that was circulating, and many people had heard the news, but I didn't want to post anything here (or, perhaps, believe what I was hearing) without a definitive source. But now the Associated Press has reported the news of her death on Tuesday, January 15th, 2008 based upon information from the L.A. County Coroner's office.
Maila was a great friend of mine, full of wisdom, and a genius. She was one-of-a-kind. When we filmed the documentary, Vampira: The Movie, I had tears in my eyes because she rarely did interviews; I was honored to hear her story and felt that it had to be told to a wider audience. Maila often said that she lived a strange life, but was very proud of her accomplishments.
It is a tribute to Maila's enduring popularity that the documentary is the fastest-selling DVD on Alpha New Cinema to date. It has also played numerous film festivals, and we will be screening the movie in her home country of Finland later this year.
Alexia Anastasio, the editor of Vampira: The Movie, conducted what we believe to be the last interview with Maila three weeks ago as an exclusive for Rue Morgue Magazine. I am currently finishing up a new documentary on grindhouse filmmaker Ted V. Mikels and had to stop work on it temporarily to mourn the loss of Maila.
Thank you, Maila, for all the good cheer.
--
Kevin Sean Michaels
January 15, 2008
New York
