THE PEOPLE’S JOKER – with writer/director/editor and star Vera Drew in attendance!
ONE NIGHT ONLY!
Multi-hyphenate satirist Vera Drew stars as an aspiring clown grappling with gender identity as she dreams of being cast on UCB Live, a popular TV sketch comedy series populated by a cast of Jokers and Harlequins. With comedy criminalized in Gotham City, the show is the only government-sanctioned space for funny people, but only those who will toe the party line. Disillusioned by a botched … view more »
THE PEOPLE’S JOKER – with writer/director/editor and star Vera Drew in attendance!
ONE NIGHT ONLY!
Multi-hyphenate satirist Vera Drew stars as an aspiring clown grappling with gender identity as she dreams of being cast on UCB Live, a popular TV sketch comedy series populated by a cast of Jokers and Harlequins. With comedy criminalized in Gotham City, the show is the only government-sanctioned space for funny people, but only those who will toe the party line. Disillusioned by a botched audition, Vera partners with a birdlike slacker (Nathan Faustyn) to found their own alternative comedy troupe, attracting not only a rogues’ gallery of would-be comics, but also the ire of a fascistic caped crusader (Phil Braun).
Writing with Bri LeRose, Vera portrays a Jokerfied version of herself, in a sprawling mixed-media adventure that draws inspiration from hertheir personal trans journey, her experiences working in alt-comedy, and, of course, a whack of comic books, movies, and other media. With a vibrant handmade aesthetic and a vast cast, crowdsourced from over 100 independent artists working independently in quarantine (including Tim Heidecker and David Liebe Hart), this uproariously subversive and emotionally resonant queer coming-of-age comedy unravels like Jonathan Caouette’s Tarnation by way of Mathew Rankin’s The Twentieth Century as it parodies some of pop culture’s most famous heroes and villains with such authenticity that it, frankly, improves upon many of their contemporary corporately owned permutations.
We live in a society where politics are filtered through irony-poisoned social media spheres, and our modern myths have become intellectual property that perpetuate the ideological morals of their owners. The People’s Joker is not the comic-book movie we deserve — it’s the one we desperately need.
First premiering at a notorious Midnight Madness screening at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival, the film was forced underground where it steadily accrued acclaim from critics and audiences alike from a plethora of secret screenings. It has since re-emerged and The Laser Blast Film Society is thrilled to welcome Vera and her extraordinary film back to Toronto for a special presentation and post-screening Q&A!
DOORS OPEN: 6:30 PM
FEATURE PRESENTATION: 7:00 PM
$15 (in advance)
$20 (at the door)
NOTE: The Laser Blast Film Society will also be hosting a reprise screening of Neil Breen’s CADE: A TORTURED CROSSING on Nov. 9th at 9:30 PM. Consider making it a double bill!
Special Thanks to The Laser Blast Film Society, The Royal Cinema and Brian Alkerton
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