Growing up, I was lucky enough to meet and know magical people, people who believed in worlds beyond this one. They are the ones who kept my enchanted soul alive.
Amy Zerner and Monte Farber would come over sometimes, and suddenly our home wasn’t just a home anymore. It was a portal. Amy with her tapestry art, her collages of myth and magic that would eventually become The Enchanted Tarot. Millions of copies, 18 languages, but back then, she was just Amy, pulling tarot cards at our kitchen table like she was reading a letter from the universe. Monte with his astrology charts and his easy laugh, talking about the stars like they were his old friends, and talking to the dead like the dead were just in another room, waiting to be invited into the conversation.
Now, half a century later, they’re world-famous, still living in Springs, with a new documentary about them, “AMY&MONTE: A Legacy of Love and Creativity,” that will be shown on the East End at Bay Street Theater on May 9. I was thrilled to find out more about this movie (in which I make a cameo) from my old friends.
So how did this movie project come about?
We met Annmarie Sairrino in 2022 when she watched one of our weekly “Ask the Oracles” streaming Zoom shows that we started during the pandemic so we could reach out to our fans and share positive vibes and conversations. She was intrigued with all that we do and talked about on the show — psychic predictions, art, oracles, fashion design, readings, plus the fact that we work together and really like each other! We had a mutual friend, Jeff Pulver, who put her in touch with us.
She wrote: “I just had a ping this morning watching your social media posts and I wondered if you ever had or have a documentary in the works about you two? I love that you and Amy are essential love expanders for many people who need to see what a true, loving, and healthy relationship is. I believe we forgot what that looks like and the reminder can be so beneficial if approached in such a subtle way. I know I have great hope when I see how you interact with each other. It’s beautiful. And you’re funny! I love that everything about you both covers spirituality, wellness, manifestation, hope, struggle, finding yourself, perseverance, creativity, ingenuity, success, happiness, and love. (Did I leave any out?)” She signed off that she was “the horror movie producer who sometimes gets creative pings to do other things!”
So of course we said, “Yes!” And now we are the best of friends. Annmarie showed us plenty, with her great ideas and work ethic, plus her passion, dedication, talent, adventurous spirit, and intuitive nurturing of this project.
The documentary started in earnest with a two-camera shoot here in East Hampton at our home, our studio, and locations around town with Annmarie as ringmaster/director/producer. She wanted to document what it truly means to live in an Enchanted World — a world of love, magic, art, fun, creativity, mindfulness, collaboration, support, trust, and dedication.
We three spent two intense years filming segments, exchanging hundreds of emails, doing interviews, and combing through archives of many old videos and photographs. Over 100 hours of files from our various video experiences were sent to the editor, starting with Monte performing with his robot, Roland, on local cable TV in 1978, all the way up to a couple of days before we sent the hard drive to the editors. It was exciting to see how Annmarie and the editor, Joseph Colby Doler, wove together the contemporary interviews and conversations, archival images, stories, memories, and our philosophy of life in a reflective way to compose an artful and soulful film.
What can people expect when they see it on May 9 at Bay Street?
A documentary is the perfect medium that enabled us to present the entirety of what each of us does individually and what we do together and give a more detailed glimpse into our past, present, and future. Aside from sharing what we have learned about love and life that enables us to work together 24/7/365, it also takes you behind the scenes of our various artistic endeavors, our origin stories, and our creative process — it is a great gift to be able to introduce to new audiences what we now call our “spiritual power tools.” Since we first met, we have chosen to create together using Amy’s art and Monte’s words — it’s our way of changing the world, i.e., being the change we want to see. We are celebrating 50 years together, and our motto is: “Make your life a work of art and your art a work of life.”
We have so many interesting Hamptons friends interviewed, like Jules Feiffer, the Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist, author, and playwright, and Audrey Flack, the amazing artist — both of whom have unfortunately passed since the filming. We have interviews with Lynda LaPlante, the writer and producer of “Prime Suspect” and many other UK TV hits; Julie Keyes, my Sag Harbor gallerist; Carmindy, the well-known make-up artist; and many more. And we have pictures of us with and appearances by some of our other friends and collectors of Amy’s art — Patti LaBelle, Shirley MacLaine, and Michael J. Fox (Monte was his 24/7/100+ days close protection bodyguard on the movie, “The Secret of My Success”).
We never tried to follow movements or trends. We were fortunate to have had faith, resilience, and willpower, and just really kept at it, despite rejection, learning curves, and challenges along the way. We hope our story will help others to keep at it, to pursue their dreams.
Where else has the film been/going to be?
We can’t wait until we can show it to everyone and get it out into the world! Our first screening was last August at the New Hope Film Festival, and it won the Audience Choice Award for Best Documentary. As noted by D.F. Whipple, Executive Director of The New Hope Film Festival, in his review:
“Summertime in East Hampton, New York, evokes a reverie of sun-drenched beaches, calm ocean breezes, delectable hors d’oeuvres, and sophisticated company. But within this dreamy landscape, an alt culture vortex arose in the form of artist and couture fashion designer Amy Zerner and her soulmate, best-selling spiritual author Monte Farber. Famous for intricate art as well as tarot card readings, they are hard to pin down or categorize. Yet their deep spirituality lends the duo more to exploration than revolution. Producer and director Annmarie Sairrino seems to have great fun pulling together the pieces around this puzzling, talented, and fascinating couple. Seldom do people so irreverent act from a place of such transcendent intentionality. And therein is a story worth telling. It is told very well.”
AMMO Entertainment is focused on identifying the most strategic distribution path for the documentary while also expanding direct-to-audience engagement through curated appearances and workshops. We see this as an opportunity not just to release the film, but to build meaningful connection around it. While the current market presents its challenges, we are actively creating momentum by positioning the project across multiple touch points and continuing to pursue opportunities that align with both the film’s audience and long-term potential.
What other projects have you recently released, or are about to release?
Last year, we got a three-book deal with our wonderful publisher, Insight Editions: “Your Cosmic Blueprint: Master the Art of Reading and Astrology Chart” (April), the 35th Anniversary Edition of “The Enchanted Tarot” (July) — new size, new package! And “The Karmic Balance Tarot” (September).
We will be doing a book signing at Barnes & Noble in Bridgehampton on Saturday, July 11, at 1 PM. And this month we will be at Amityville Apothecary on Sunday, April 26, from 3 to 5 PM, with a talk and book signing. And, of course, we look forward to participating in Authors Night in East Hampton on August 8. We always like to demonstrate our tarot and oracle decks by giving mini-readings to the event customers.
I (Amy) have been busy creating many special tapestry commissions and art couture custom orders over the last few years, one of my favorite things to do. I currently have three of my tapestries on exhibit in the Prototype Museum in Columbus, Ohio, in “The Art & History of Tarot” until next year, and I also have a large mixed-media tapestry included in the “Springboard” exhibit at the Newport Museum through the end of May.
And Monte is doing many private psychic astrology readings via Zoom (he has clients all over the world), and he is working on his first novel — it is a rock n’ roll romantasy!
You’ve both been on the East End for a LONG time. What are some of the positives, and what do you really miss?
I (Amy) moved to the Springs from a small town in Pennsylvania when I was 16 in 1967. We still live in the same house, but have added a big working studio. I have always loved this area. Monte moved out here to be with me in 1975. We have never gone for a ride or run errands without feeling very grateful to live in this part of the world. The nature, the air, the water, the farm stands, and most of all the people are what make it such an exciting and beautiful place to live. The concentration of creatives is incomparable. We really miss our family and many friends who have passed or moved away. But at our age, you learn to accept and adapt and appreciate the good old days as well as the good days that are here now and ones that we look forward to.
What does a “normal” day look like to you two?
The best thing about even our worst days is that we are together — we are very rarely apart, and we have worked very hard to make our home our favorite place in the world. We have our mission, which we needed a documentary to, well, document, and our love and creativity are what get us up in the morning. We eat organically and drink pure water, and we don’t drink alcohol or eat sugar. We like to sit outside and watch the birds in the fresh air. We are careful and are aware when we get too anxious and try to come back into our center. We try to stay informed but are careful to be aware of toxic information that may enter our brains. We count our blessings. And we are both content being homebodies. That is where we love to be!
Any kind of creativity is healing, grounding, and a good spiritual practice. We also take time to tune into messages from the universe and from our higher selves with astrology and with our oracles. That is sacred play! And we love to watch a good TV series, foreign or domestic.
What message do you hope people come away with from “AMY&MONTE: A Legacy of Love and Creativity”?
Since we met in 1974, Amy and I have had a lot of fun, accomplished a lot of different things in a lot of different genres, and met a lot of wonderful people. We have had many magical and often hilarious adventures together, from our meeting at the filming of a porno movie in 1974, right up to the filming of this documentary in 2023 to 2025. Our film, conceived, produced, and directed by Annmarie Sairrino, is the flowering of our many creative accomplishments and the message we want to send to a world that could really use a jolt of real love, light, and laughter.
“AMY&MONTE: A Legacy of Love and Creativity” will be shown at the Bay Street Theater at 4 PM on May 9. For tickets, visit baystreet.org.
