PRIDE 2025 - Cover Story: Sav Rodgers

Sav Rodgers poses for a portrait during the 2023 Tribeca Festival at Spring Studio on June 8th in New York City. (Photo Credit © Erik Tanner.)

When filmmaker Sav Rodgers set out to create a documentary about his lifelong love for the 1997 film, Chasing Amy, he had no idea just how personal the journey would become. What started as a love letter to a movie that meant everything to him as a queer kid in Kansas turned into a soul-baring exploration of identity, vulnerability, and self-acceptance.

"One of the earliest visions I had for the film was like, I'd like to have this specific song in it," Rodgers says, referring to "Jumpstart" by the Hang Ups. Licensing the track was no easy feat, but it was a dream come true when the songwriter, Brian Tighe, supported the film after seeing it at a festival. "He posted the kindest response to the film. He was moved by it," Rodgers recalls. The moment felt cyclical, as a song that had deeply resonated with him growing up now underscored a project that gave him the voice to share his truth.

Rodgers’ path to making Chasing Chasing Amy began with a TED residency he discovered through a Facebook ad. Though he had no initial idea for a talk, he applied anyway. "The worst they can say is no," he reasoned. During the interview, he shared how Chasing Amy had saved his life. "There was a kind of stunned silence," he says. Days later, he was accepted. That experience laid the groundwork for a film, which would grow far beyond a fan tribute.

The TED residency became the launchpad for Rodgers’ pre-production, but it was also where he began discovering how much of his own story needed to be told. "At the beginning, it was a lot of cut-and-dry research," he explains. "But the story became extremely personal in a way that I hadn't anticipated."

Rodgers was not initially planning to be the center of the film. As the process unfolded, however, his transformation emerged as a vital part of the narrative. "Watching myself transition—that is a deeply unpleasant experience," he admits. “It's hard to watch yourself make mistakes, to screw up, not being where you thought you were.” It became impossible to separate the story of Chasing Amy from his journey toward understanding himself.

"I wanted to be Riley's boyfriend. I wanted to be my mother's son. I always have been, but I wanted to be called that," he shares. It was through his relationship with his now-wife, Riley, and the support of friends and mentors, that Rodgers began embracing his identity as a trans man. "There have always been trans people. We didn’t just come out of nowhere. We've always existed."

Coming out publicly was a turning point. It happened shortly after an emotional on-camera conversation with Chasing Amy director Kevin Smith. "That interview was a major step in me coming out," he says. "A month later…I came out publicly. It was the straw that finally broke my back."

That experience with Kevin Smith—a filmmaker whose work once saved him—came full circle. “The first take we did, we sat down and I asked Kevin, ‘How are you feeling?’ and he talked for 45 minutes straight,” Rodgers laughs. “I don’t think he ever answered the question.” But what came from their time together wasn’t just storytelling nostalgia. It was a candid reckoning with legacy, responsibility, and creative vulnerability. “Kevin answered as forthright as he did. I don’t think a lot of filmmakers would sit down with a documentarian on the record to talk about the ways in which people did not respond to his work and how it made him feel.”

The film’s emotional core is perhaps most powerfully captured in Rodgers’ interview with Joey Lauren Adams, the actress who starred in Chasing Amy. "Joey sharing her truth not only changed the direction of the movie but also my life," Rodgers says. Her candid reflections on the challenges she faced during and after the making of the film reshaped the documentary. "When somebody trusts you with their truth, it's your duty to shut up and listen."

Rodgers is quick to point out that Chasing Chasing Amy is not a "scoop." It's not about shock value. It's about honoring the honesty and complexity of lived experiences. "What we get from these interviews is a lot of new history that's unearthed that hadn’t been talked about in public before," he says. "Kevin, Joey—everyone was vulnerable, and that takes guts."

But it wasn’t just the interviews that made the documentary impactful. It was also the labor of post-production that forced Rodgers to confront his own evolving narrative. “A documentary is made in post,” he says. “I had to look at all the footage we assembled and start to make creative choices about what is the movie.” What unfolded was an honest, often unfiltered lens on identity. “You’re faced with the objective truth of what the camera picks up,” he says. “Am I a likable protagonist? Is my story relatable? Does anybody care?”

His collaborators became an emotional and professional lifeline. “This process was difficult, but it was made a lot easier by all the incredible collaborators that were on this film,” he says. “Our editor, Sharika, our AE, Lauren, our producers, who gave so many detailed, wonderful notes… It was invaluable for learning what I do and don’t want from a story.”

Now that the film is out in the world, Rodgers reflects on the original Chasing Amy with a new lens. "It'll take a long time for me to pull apart what it means to me now," he admits. The documentary has become the defining chapter in his life—a period of immense growth, healing, and artistic awakening.

From conversations with parents of trans kids to encounters with fellow Kevin Smith fans, the film has created a bridge between personal identity and shared cultural experiences. "I'm so thankful that I get to move forward and find my vocation as a storyteller," he says.

Rodgers also hopes that the film serves as an entry point for people who may have never knowingly interacted with a trans person before. "People who share no life experience with me other than also liking a Kevin Smith movie have come away learning something new," he says. That intersection of pop culture and personal truth becomes the film’s most resonant message.

In reflecting on his journey, Rodgers holds deep gratitude for everyone involved in both the original film and his documentary. "Whether you influence the catering on set or helm the whole shebang, I am thankful for the people who made that movie," he says.
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Sav Rodgers didn’t just make a film. He unearthed a story that connected generations, challenged perceptions, and offered a glimpse into the courage it takes to be truly seen. "This process helped me in so many ways, even if there were a lot of intense growing pains," he says. And for anyone still searching for themselves, Chasing Chasing Amy is a heartfelt reminder that identity is not just discovered—it’s made, piece by piece, with bravery, truth, and love.