This review originally ran January 22, 2022, in conjunction with the film’s world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival.
“Whoever wishes to foresee the future must consult the past,” Machiavelli noted, and while “Framing Agnes” digs into the archives for a look at the lives of transgender people in post-wwii America, director Chase Joynt uses these case histories from the past to prompt fascinating and provocative insights into the way trans people live today.
As with “No Ordinary Man,” the portrait of trans jazz musician Billy Tipton that Joynt co-directed, this is a documentary that’s constantly breaking the fourth wall, with camera angles that show the boom mics and marks on the floor, where black-and-white footage of actors performing interview transcripts will cut to color footage of the performers and the director conferring with each other about syntax and motivation.
Rather than serving to distract or distance, however, Joynt’s...
“Whoever wishes to foresee the future must consult the past,” Machiavelli noted, and while “Framing Agnes” digs into the archives for a look at the lives of transgender people in post-wwii America, director Chase Joynt uses these case histories from the past to prompt fascinating and provocative insights into the way trans people live today.
As with “No Ordinary Man,” the portrait of trans jazz musician Billy Tipton that Joynt co-directed, this is a documentary that’s constantly breaking the fourth wall, with camera angles that show the boom mics and marks on the floor, where black-and-white footage of actors performing interview transcripts will cut to color footage of the performers and the director conferring with each other about syntax and motivation.
Rather than serving to distract or distance, however, Joynt’s...
- 12/13/2022
- by Alonso Duralde
- The Wrap
“Framing Agnes,” a hybrid narrative and documentary feature film that explores trans lives and history, has sold North American distribution rights to Kino Lorber.
Directed by Chase Joynt, the film closely and accurately depicts the journey of trans people past and present through reenactments of transcripts from a notable 1960s UCLA gender study. Based on a short by Joynt which premiered and nabbed awards at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, the project features a cast of trans performers and academics that includes Jules Gill-Peterson, Angelica Ross, Jen Richards, Zackary Drucker, Max Wolf Valerio, Silas Howard and Stephen Ira.
The film will make its New York premiere at NewFest on June 5, followed by a theatrical release from Kino Lorber in December. Joynt and Morgan M. Page wrote the script, produced by Joynt, Samantha Curley and Shant Joshi. Kino Lorber senior vice president Wendy Lidell negotiated on behalf of the label, with UTA...
Directed by Chase Joynt, the film closely and accurately depicts the journey of trans people past and present through reenactments of transcripts from a notable 1960s UCLA gender study. Based on a short by Joynt which premiered and nabbed awards at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, the project features a cast of trans performers and academics that includes Jules Gill-Peterson, Angelica Ross, Jen Richards, Zackary Drucker, Max Wolf Valerio, Silas Howard and Stephen Ira.
The film will make its New York premiere at NewFest on June 5, followed by a theatrical release from Kino Lorber in December. Joynt and Morgan M. Page wrote the script, produced by Joynt, Samantha Curley and Shant Joshi. Kino Lorber senior vice president Wendy Lidell negotiated on behalf of the label, with UTA...
- 6/3/2022
- by Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Framing Agnes filmmaker Chase Joynt, his producing partner Samantha Curley and their production company, Level Ground Productions, have signed with WME for representation, on the heels of the documentary’s world premiere at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival.
In Joynt’s solo directorial debut, starring trans culture-makers Angelica Ross, Jen Richards and Zackary Drucker, he widens the lens through which transgender history is viewed as he explores the story of Agnes (Drucker) and her participation in gender health research at UCLA in the 1960s. Following its debut within Sundance’s Next section, the film co-written by Joynt and Morgan M. Page won its Audience Award, as well as its Innovator Award.
A trans filmmaker who is passionate in his in-depth advocacy and analysis of transgender issues and experiences onscreen, Joynt previously co-directed the Tribeca-premiering music doc No Ordinary Man, about trans icon Billy Tipton, with Aisling Chin-Yee.
Curley has thus...
In Joynt’s solo directorial debut, starring trans culture-makers Angelica Ross, Jen Richards and Zackary Drucker, he widens the lens through which transgender history is viewed as he explores the story of Agnes (Drucker) and her participation in gender health research at UCLA in the 1960s. Following its debut within Sundance’s Next section, the film co-written by Joynt and Morgan M. Page won its Audience Award, as well as its Innovator Award.
A trans filmmaker who is passionate in his in-depth advocacy and analysis of transgender issues and experiences onscreen, Joynt previously co-directed the Tribeca-premiering music doc No Ordinary Man, about trans icon Billy Tipton, with Aisling Chin-Yee.
Curley has thus...
- 2/15/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” but when it comes to experimental archival documentaries, just because something worked once doesn’t mean it will work again. In the burgeoning canon of queer and trans documentaries, filmmakers face a unique challenge: How do you tell a story that has either been deliberately erased, or filtered through a lens that views you as abnormal at best, abhorrent at worst? It’s a dilemma that has been handled elegantly in recent documentaries like “Disclosure,” “The Lady and the Dale,” and “No Ordinary Man.” Unfortunately, “Framing Agnes”
Unsurprisingly, “Framing Agnes” has most in common with “No Ordinary Man,” which found meaning in conversations with trans actors as they attempt to re-animate the life of trans jazz musician Billy Tipton. Directed by Chase Joynt with Aisling Yin-Chee, Joynt steps out solo for his latest project, the similarly constructed “Framing Agnes.” In his second feature,...
Unsurprisingly, “Framing Agnes” has most in common with “No Ordinary Man,” which found meaning in conversations with trans actors as they attempt to re-animate the life of trans jazz musician Billy Tipton. Directed by Chase Joynt with Aisling Yin-Chee, Joynt steps out solo for his latest project, the similarly constructed “Framing Agnes.” In his second feature,...
- 1/28/2022
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.
Crimson Gold (Jafar Panahi)
Following his early days of being an assistant for Abbas Kiarostami, Jafar Panahi’s career soon blossomed, leading to a few collaborations between the two monumental figures of Iranian cinemas––one of which, Crimson Gold, is now available on The Criterion Channel. The masterful 2003 character study, scripted by Kiarostami after he told the tenets of the story to Panahi while sitting in traffic, stars unprofessional actor Hossain Emadeddin in his sole performance. Following a pizza delivery driver who witnesses the sharp class divide and political terror playing out in his society, Kiarostami and Panahi brilliantly preview the brutal ending from the start as the pieces then cogently and subtly fall into place as to why a man would...
Crimson Gold (Jafar Panahi)
Following his early days of being an assistant for Abbas Kiarostami, Jafar Panahi’s career soon blossomed, leading to a few collaborations between the two monumental figures of Iranian cinemas––one of which, Crimson Gold, is now available on The Criterion Channel. The masterful 2003 character study, scripted by Kiarostami after he told the tenets of the story to Panahi while sitting in traffic, stars unprofessional actor Hossain Emadeddin in his sole performance. Following a pizza delivery driver who witnesses the sharp class divide and political terror playing out in his society, Kiarostami and Panahi brilliantly preview the brutal ending from the start as the pieces then cogently and subtly fall into place as to why a man would...
- 9/24/2021
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Top Chinese social media platform Weibo has banned the official account of the German consulate in Guangzhou for “violating community standards” after it posted information about a LGBTQ film festival jointly hosted with 16 other foreign governments.
The ban, which has now been in effect for more than two full days, was instated after nationalist Weibo users flooded the platform’s censors with reports that the German consulate’s message was politically problematic.
All of the diplomatic mission’s prior content is no longer accessible and its page now reads: “This account cannot currently be viewed because of complaints that it has violated regulations related to ‘Weibo Community Standards.’”
Foreign embassies in China frequently host film screenings, talks and cultural events about sensitive topics that typically couldn’t take place outside their premises. Li Dan, the curator of the China Women’s Film Festival who works closely with international embassies on these sorts of film showcases,...
The ban, which has now been in effect for more than two full days, was instated after nationalist Weibo users flooded the platform’s censors with reports that the German consulate’s message was politically problematic.
All of the diplomatic mission’s prior content is no longer accessible and its page now reads: “This account cannot currently be viewed because of complaints that it has violated regulations related to ‘Weibo Community Standards.’”
Foreign embassies in China frequently host film screenings, talks and cultural events about sensitive topics that typically couldn’t take place outside their premises. Li Dan, the curator of the China Women’s Film Festival who works closely with international embassies on these sorts of film showcases,...
- 7/29/2021
- by Rebecca Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Wilmer Valderrama has a very personal reason for launching “Essential Voices,” his podcast featuring interviews with essential and frontline workers. His dad battled Covid-19 and suffered two minor heart attacks in the past year. “They showed up and helped my dad be with us for many more years,” the “NCIS” star tells me. “I’m so thankful, and I want to make sure their voices are heard. That’s my small contribution back for what they’ve done for my family.” Today, his father’s recovery is progressing. “He’s still working through his respiratory stuff, and he’s still trying to get his stamina back,” Valderrama says. “He’s working out every day. I always joke with him that he reminds me of Stella because he’s trying to get his groove back.”
Produced by Valderrama’s production company Wv Entertainment and Clamor and distributed by iHeart, “Essential Voices...
Produced by Valderrama’s production company Wv Entertainment and Clamor and distributed by iHeart, “Essential Voices...
- 7/28/2021
- by Marc Malkin
- Variety Film + TV
A fascinating deconstruction of history, culture and identity, “No Ordinary Man” raises many crucial questions — and answers them so thoughtfully — that it moves beyond entertainment into the realm of essential text. It belongs, equally, in theaters, streaming queues and classrooms.
Filmmakers Aisling Chin-Yee and Chase Joynt begin with the story of mid-century jazz musician Billy Tipton, who seems to be an ideal candidate for a traditionally formatted biographical documentary. But their goal isn’t to tell one man’s story, even if that man was “born a woman,” to reference the exploitative approach of previous tellings of his life. Tipton’s secret was revealed after his death in 1989, when EMTs removed his clothing. No one, including four successive wives and three children, had any idea that he had been assigned female at birth.
As we see in impactful footage from breathless talk shows that refer to him as a “jazzy gender-bender,...
Filmmakers Aisling Chin-Yee and Chase Joynt begin with the story of mid-century jazz musician Billy Tipton, who seems to be an ideal candidate for a traditionally formatted biographical documentary. But their goal isn’t to tell one man’s story, even if that man was “born a woman,” to reference the exploitative approach of previous tellings of his life. Tipton’s secret was revealed after his death in 1989, when EMTs removed his clothing. No one, including four successive wives and three children, had any idea that he had been assigned female at birth.
As we see in impactful footage from breathless talk shows that refer to him as a “jazzy gender-bender,...
- 7/16/2021
- by Elizabeth Weitzman
- The Wrap
Transgender people have existed since the beginning of time, but you wouldn’t know it from most of the media available to us. As a recent swell of documentaries attempts to fill in the gaps, filmmakers have the tough task of working with very little archival footage or historical research. As is often the case with LGBTQ history, what little documentation does exist is often filtered through a mainstream media lens that is inaccurate at best and traumatizing at worst. Add into the mix the problem that language around trans and queer identity is constantly evolving. How do you tell the story of a trans person whose life was only recorded in tabloids and who probably never even heard the word “transgender”?
As trans narratives continue to captivate filmmakers’ imaginations, such questions are being addressed in ever more creative ways. HBO’s excellent four-part docuseries “The Lady and the Dale...
As trans narratives continue to captivate filmmakers’ imaginations, such questions are being addressed in ever more creative ways. HBO’s excellent four-part docuseries “The Lady and the Dale...
- 7/15/2021
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
In 1998, Dianne Middlebrook published Suits Me: The Double Life of Billy Tipton, and the narrative around Billy Tipton’s life was warped. The truth was that Tipton, a successful jazz musician who lived from 1914 to 1989, was a transgender man who lived most of his life pretending to be a cisgender man. When he died, medical examinations revealed that Tipton had been assigned female at birth, which was news to Tipton’s ex-partner Kitty Kelly and their three adopted children. A media circus ensued that presented Tipton as a woman who posed as a man to get ahead in a sexist music industry. Middlebrook’s biography perpetuated that false narrative.
Aisling Chin-Yee and Chase Joynt’s new documentary, No Ordinary Man, is a sorely needed corrective on the life and identity of Billy Tipton. This is not your average music biopic—in fact, it’s not really about jazz at all,...
Aisling Chin-Yee and Chase Joynt’s new documentary, No Ordinary Man, is a sorely needed corrective on the life and identity of Billy Tipton. This is not your average music biopic—in fact, it’s not really about jazz at all,...
- 7/14/2021
- by Orla Smith
- The Film Stage
By Glenn Dunks
In No Ordinary Man, a groundbreaking biography emerges out of the tragic throes of history. Populated almost exclusively by the voices and experiences of transgender individuals, this riveting and decidedly trans-positive documentary from co-directors Aisling Chin-Yee and Chase Joynt has the power and the depth to deserve a place in the queer canon (if such a thing exists). It dismantles the very politics of disclosure, and tells its story of self-discovery with empathy and tenderness while utilising film craft in a way that offers genuine inclusive insight.
It tells the story of Billy Tipton, an acclaimed jazz musician, husband and father who, upon his death, was discovered to have been assigned female at birth. At first mocked on the daytime talk show and tabloid entertainment circuit as a ‘unimaginable’ fraud who deceived his family and society for personal gain (women had little access to the jazz scene...
In No Ordinary Man, a groundbreaking biography emerges out of the tragic throes of history. Populated almost exclusively by the voices and experiences of transgender individuals, this riveting and decidedly trans-positive documentary from co-directors Aisling Chin-Yee and Chase Joynt has the power and the depth to deserve a place in the queer canon (if such a thing exists). It dismantles the very politics of disclosure, and tells its story of self-discovery with empathy and tenderness while utilising film craft in a way that offers genuine inclusive insight.
It tells the story of Billy Tipton, an acclaimed jazz musician, husband and father who, upon his death, was discovered to have been assigned female at birth. At first mocked on the daytime talk show and tabloid entertainment circuit as a ‘unimaginable’ fraud who deceived his family and society for personal gain (women had little access to the jazz scene...
- 7/14/2021
- by Glenn Dunks
- FilmExperience
Following a premiere at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival, Chase Joynt and Aisling Chin-yee’s acclaimed documentary No Ordinary Man is now arriving next month. The film unpacks the life of American jazz musician Billy Tipton, who passed away in 1989, when it was revealed that Tipton was assigned female at birth. Seeking to correct the misrepresentation of his life, the film features interviews with Marquise Vilsón, Scott Turner Schofield, Susan Stryker, C. Riley Snorton, Thomas Page McBee, and more. Ahead of a July 16 release, the first trailer has now arrived.
Orla Smith said earlier this year, “With No Ordinary Man, directors Chase Joynt and Aisling Chin-yee reclaim the lost history of trans jazz musician Billy Tipton. Because no moving footage of Tipton exists, in this documentary, Joynt and Chin-yee ask transmasculine actors to “audition” to play Tipton, discussing their interpretations of his life and how they’d play him.
Orla Smith said earlier this year, “With No Ordinary Man, directors Chase Joynt and Aisling Chin-yee reclaim the lost history of trans jazz musician Billy Tipton. Because no moving footage of Tipton exists, in this documentary, Joynt and Chin-yee ask transmasculine actors to “audition” to play Tipton, discussing their interpretations of his life and how they’d play him.
- 6/27/2021
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
"He was an doting, loving, caring, ordinary father." Oscilliscope Labs in the US has revealed an official US trailer for a fascinating music history documentary called No Ordinary Man, from acclaimed filmmakers Aisling Chin-Yee & Chase Joynt. This premiered at TIFF last year and already opened in Canada (watch the first official trailer) with a theatrical release in the US set for this July. More than just a simple story about a musician many don't know... No Ordinary Man is an in-depth look at the life of musician & trans culture icon Billy Tipton. Complicated, beautiful, historically unrivaled, this uniquely groundbreaking film shows what's truly possible when a community collaborates to honor the legacy of an unlikely hero. For decades, the life of American Jazz musician, Billy Tipton, was framed as the story of an ambitious woman passing as a man in pursuit of a music career. But that's not the real...
- 6/21/2021
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Exclusive: Oscilloscope Laboratories has acquired U.S. rights to the genre-bending look at the life of musician and trans culture icon Billy Tipton in the documentary No Ordinary Man directed by Aisling Chin-Yee and Chase Joynt. The film production and distribution company founded by the late, great Adam Yauch of Beastie Boys also acquired the U.S. rights to Jeanne Leblanc’s suspense-drama Les Nôtres (Our Own).
The news of the acquisition of No Ordinary Man comes at an appropriate time as March 31 was Trans Day of Visibility. The docu spotlights American Jazz musician Billy Tipton, whose life was often framed as the story of an ambitious woman passing as a man in pursuit of a music career. In No Ordinary Man, Tipton’s story is reimagined and performed by trans artists as they collectively paint a portrait of an unlikely hero. The film features breakout stars in the trans community,...
The news of the acquisition of No Ordinary Man comes at an appropriate time as March 31 was Trans Day of Visibility. The docu spotlights American Jazz musician Billy Tipton, whose life was often framed as the story of an ambitious woman passing as a man in pursuit of a music career. In No Ordinary Man, Tipton’s story is reimagined and performed by trans artists as they collectively paint a portrait of an unlikely hero. The film features breakout stars in the trans community,...
- 4/1/2021
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
Anyone who is a part of a marginalized group can tell you that representation matters; not just having someone like ourselves in movies or books, but seeing ourselves in history, as a part of the world, making a mark on and a difference in the world. One of the reasons we're marginalized is because our history is unknown, often deliberately erased, because our existence is seen as a threat (which of course it isn't). To live our most authentic selves and be able to contribute in large and small ways means that we have always been here and we have always mattered, and we must be seen as our authentic selves. The story of jazz musician Billy Tipton is known perhaps less for his contributions...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 3/30/2021
- Screen Anarchy
"It's scary when centuries of your survival have been based on not being seen." LevelFilm from Canada has released an official trailer for an indie music history documentary film called No Ordinary Man, made by acclaimed filmmakers Aisling Chin-Yee & Chase Joynt. This initially premiered at TIFF last year and opens in Canada in April, though still no US release is set yet. No Ordinary Man is an in-depth look at the life of musician & trans culture icon Billy Tipton. Complicated, beautiful and historically unrivaled, this uniquely groundbreaking film shows what's truly possible when a community collaborates to honor the legacy of an unlikely hero. For decades, the life of American Jazz musician, Billy Tipton, was framed as the story of an ambitious woman passing as a man in pursuit of a music career. But that's not the real truth of his story. From this trailer, it seems half the film...
- 3/24/2021
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
The 35th edition of the BFI Flare: London Lgbtiq+ Film Festival will take place online with films available U.K.-wide via the BFI Player.
The 2020 physical edition of the festival was dramatically canceled at the last minute due to the rapid onset of coronavirus and forced to go online. A year down the line, the pandemic is still very much around, and cinemas are unlikely to open before May 17, necessitating another digital edition.
The 2021 edition will include 26 features and 38 free shorts from 23 countries. There isn’t an opening or closing film this year and all films will be available March 17-28, the duration of the festival.
BFI Flare is divided into three thematic strands: Hearts, Bodies and Minds. Highlights include Phil Connell’s “Jump, Darling,” a family drama about a drag queen reconnecting with his ageing grandmother, featuring the late Hollywood legend Cloris Leachman in her final starring role; Peeter Rebane’s “Firebird,...
The 2020 physical edition of the festival was dramatically canceled at the last minute due to the rapid onset of coronavirus and forced to go online. A year down the line, the pandemic is still very much around, and cinemas are unlikely to open before May 17, necessitating another digital edition.
The 2021 edition will include 26 features and 38 free shorts from 23 countries. There isn’t an opening or closing film this year and all films will be available March 17-28, the duration of the festival.
BFI Flare is divided into three thematic strands: Hearts, Bodies and Minds. Highlights include Phil Connell’s “Jump, Darling,” a family drama about a drag queen reconnecting with his ageing grandmother, featuring the late Hollywood legend Cloris Leachman in her final starring role; Peeter Rebane’s “Firebird,...
- 2/23/2021
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
The first all-virtual edition of the Doc NYC festival of nonfiction films announced its 2020 lineup on Thursday, with 107 feature documentaries about everyone from John Belushi to Jamal Khashoggi and Pope Francis to Frank Zappa,
The lineup for the festival, which runs from Nov. 11 through Nov. 19 and will take place completely online, includes 23 world premieres, among them Petra Epperlein and Michael Tucker’s “The Meaning of Hitler,” Nancy Burski’s “A Crime on the Bayou,” Gong Cheng and Yung Chang’s “Wuhan Wuhan” and Jeff Daniels’ “Television Event.”
Doc NYC, which launched in 2010, is the largest festival of nonfiction films in the United States. This year the festival transitioned to a completely online event separated into 14 themed sections, two of which are competitive sections that will award prizes.
The competitive Viewfinders section consists of 11 films, including films set in Venezuela (“A La Calle”), Puerto Rico (“Landfall”), the Dominican Republic (“Stateless”) and...
The lineup for the festival, which runs from Nov. 11 through Nov. 19 and will take place completely online, includes 23 world premieres, among them Petra Epperlein and Michael Tucker’s “The Meaning of Hitler,” Nancy Burski’s “A Crime on the Bayou,” Gong Cheng and Yung Chang’s “Wuhan Wuhan” and Jeff Daniels’ “Television Event.”
Doc NYC, which launched in 2010, is the largest festival of nonfiction films in the United States. This year the festival transitioned to a completely online event separated into 14 themed sections, two of which are competitive sections that will award prizes.
The competitive Viewfinders section consists of 11 films, including films set in Venezuela (“A La Calle”), Puerto Rico (“Landfall”), the Dominican Republic (“Stateless”) and...
- 10/15/2020
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
As a historically marginalized group, LGBTQ people must excavate the past in order to find evidence of their existence. But when flying under the radar is a means of survival in a society determined to erase you, stories of queer life are often difficult to find. Every once in awhile, a long lost family member is hiding in plain sight — but it is up to us to reach out and claim them as our own. In the case of Billy Tipton, a successful American jazz musician active from the mid-1930s to ’50s, a familiar tune echoes across decades.
Directed by Aisling Chin-Yee and Chase Joynt, “No Ordinary Man” employs a feast of trans masculine performers to embody and engage with Tipton’s story. Working from a narrative script to a film that may never see the light of day, the filmmakers audition various actors for the role of Billy Tipton.
Directed by Aisling Chin-Yee and Chase Joynt, “No Ordinary Man” employs a feast of trans masculine performers to embody and engage with Tipton’s story. Working from a narrative script to a film that may never see the light of day, the filmmakers audition various actors for the role of Billy Tipton.
- 9/18/2020
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
Until his death in 1989 at the age of 74, not even his wife or adoptive children knew that jazz pianist Billy Tipton had been anything other than a cisgender man. According to No Ordinary Man — a new documentary about Tipton’s legacy as a transmasculine icon — the musician became fodder for daytime talk shows and supermarket tabloids shortly after his death, with Oprah Winfrey and her also-rans prying into the marriage between Tipton and his common-law widow Kitty Kelly. “Billy Tipton was a man in every sense of the word,” Kelly proclaimed to the unsympathetic studio audience of ...
- 9/17/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Until his death in 1989 at the age of 74, not even his wife or adoptive children knew that jazz pianist Billy Tipton had been anything other than a cisgender man. According to No Ordinary Man — a new documentary about Tipton’s legacy as a transmasculine icon — the musician became fodder for daytime talk shows and supermarket tabloids shortly after his death, with Oprah Winfrey and her also-rans prying into the marriage between Tipton and his common-law widow Kitty Kelly. “Billy Tipton was a man in every sense of the word,” Kelly proclaimed to the unsympathetic studio audience of ...
- 9/17/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Exclusive: Mimi Steinbauer’s Los Angeles-based outfit Radiant Films has boarded U.S. and international sales rights to Toronto Film Festival documentary No Ordinary Man, about jazz musician and trans icon Billy Tipton.
The film, co-directed by Aisling Chin-Yee (The Rest of Us) and Chase Joynt (Framing Agnes), charts the life of American musician Tipton whose story, for decades since his death, was framed as an ambitious woman passing as a man in pursuit of a music career.
In the movie, Tipton’s story is re-imagined and performed by trans artists as they collectively paint a portrait of an unlikely hero. Together, the filmmakers join Tipton’s son Billy Jr. to reckon with a complicated and contested legacy. We debuted first footage of the film earlier this year.
Written by Amos Mac (co-founder of trans magazine Original Plumbing) and Chin-Yee, the film also features leading voices in the trans community including Marquise Vilsón,...
The film, co-directed by Aisling Chin-Yee (The Rest of Us) and Chase Joynt (Framing Agnes), charts the life of American musician Tipton whose story, for decades since his death, was framed as an ambitious woman passing as a man in pursuit of a music career.
In the movie, Tipton’s story is re-imagined and performed by trans artists as they collectively paint a portrait of an unlikely hero. Together, the filmmakers join Tipton’s son Billy Jr. to reckon with a complicated and contested legacy. We debuted first footage of the film earlier this year.
Written by Amos Mac (co-founder of trans magazine Original Plumbing) and Chin-Yee, the film also features leading voices in the trans community including Marquise Vilsón,...
- 9/10/2020
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
In this “is the cinema half-empty or half-full?” world, Canadian producers are focusing on the perks of a leaner, hybrid Toronto fest, rather than empty seats.
“There is so much happening in the world on social and political levels, I am curious how that influences the consciousness of the marketplace,” says Toronto vet Charles Officer, director and co-producer of gang drama “Akilla’s Escape,” starring poet-actor Saul Williams.
“Screening in a smaller pool of titles allows for more visibility,” says Officer. “It’s important the cast of talented Black actors receive exposure at a festival like Toronto, and it’s rare that Black filmmakers in Canada make features — we can’t afford to be passive about opportunities to participate.” XYZ Films is selling the film.
WaZabi Films’ “Beans,” Tracey Deer’s coming-of-ager set during the 1990 standoff between Mohawk communities and government forces in Oka, Quebec, is “relevant to the times we are living in,...
“There is so much happening in the world on social and political levels, I am curious how that influences the consciousness of the marketplace,” says Toronto vet Charles Officer, director and co-producer of gang drama “Akilla’s Escape,” starring poet-actor Saul Williams.
“Screening in a smaller pool of titles allows for more visibility,” says Officer. “It’s important the cast of talented Black actors receive exposure at a festival like Toronto, and it’s rare that Black filmmakers in Canada make features — we can’t afford to be passive about opportunities to participate.” XYZ Films is selling the film.
WaZabi Films’ “Beans,” Tracey Deer’s coming-of-ager set during the 1990 standoff between Mohawk communities and government forces in Oka, Quebec, is “relevant to the times we are living in,...
- 9/9/2020
- by Jennie Punter
- Variety Film + TV
The 30th annual Inside Out Toronto LGBT Film Festival has revealed its lineup for this year’s virtual edition which will also include drive-in and special events as it showcases 150 films and Nine episodic series. The fest was originally set for May but was pushed to October 1-11.
Inside Out’s Executive Director Andria Wilson and the festival’s Director of Programming Andrew Murphy unveiled the lineup for the 10-day festival which includes an exclusive conversation with talent from Netflix’s The Boys in the Band. Based on the Tony-award winning play, the new film stars Zachary Quinto, Andrew Rannells, Matt Bomer, Jim Parsons and is directed by Joe Mantello and produced by Ryan Murphy. The Boys in the Band debuts on September 30 and will be available for audiences to stream ahead of the conversation.
The festival will include a Special Presentation timed event screening of Ali LeRoi’s The...
Inside Out’s Executive Director Andria Wilson and the festival’s Director of Programming Andrew Murphy unveiled the lineup for the 10-day festival which includes an exclusive conversation with talent from Netflix’s The Boys in the Band. Based on the Tony-award winning play, the new film stars Zachary Quinto, Andrew Rannells, Matt Bomer, Jim Parsons and is directed by Joe Mantello and produced by Ryan Murphy. The Boys in the Band debuts on September 30 and will be available for audiences to stream ahead of the conversation.
The festival will include a Special Presentation timed event screening of Ali LeRoi’s The...
- 9/9/2020
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
Jovanka Vuckovic has signed with Dan Rabinow, Jordan Berg, Wilhelmina Ross, Ruby Kaye and Hannah Wright at CAA.
Vuckovic recently directed the teen punk apocalypse feature Riot Girls which was released by Good Deed Entertainment in the U.S. She is the co-creator, writer and director of Xx, an all-women horror anthology feature film which premiered at Sundance in 2017, produced by Xyz Films and Magnolia Pictures. Vuckovic adapted and directed The Box by Jack Ketchum in Xx.
Vuckovic’s first short film, The Captured Bird, executive produced by Guillermo del Toro, played over 60 festivals, winning four Best Short Film awards. She is a Gemini Award-winning visual effects artist and cemented a reputation as a genre film authority during her tenure as editor-in-chief of Rue Morgue Magazine. She is also the author of Zombies! An Illustrated History of the Undead, (St. Martin’s Press) and Vuckovic’s Horror Miscellany’(Ilex Press).
Vuckovic...
Vuckovic recently directed the teen punk apocalypse feature Riot Girls which was released by Good Deed Entertainment in the U.S. She is the co-creator, writer and director of Xx, an all-women horror anthology feature film which premiered at Sundance in 2017, produced by Xyz Films and Magnolia Pictures. Vuckovic adapted and directed The Box by Jack Ketchum in Xx.
Vuckovic’s first short film, The Captured Bird, executive produced by Guillermo del Toro, played over 60 festivals, winning four Best Short Film awards. She is a Gemini Award-winning visual effects artist and cemented a reputation as a genre film authority during her tenure as editor-in-chief of Rue Morgue Magazine. She is also the author of Zombies! An Illustrated History of the Undead, (St. Martin’s Press) and Vuckovic’s Horror Miscellany’(Ilex Press).
Vuckovic...
- 11/9/2019
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Producer Effie Brown's biopic Exactly Like You, based on the life of transgender jazz musician Billy Tipton, is among the 168 independent projects selected for the 29th annual IFP Market.
The IFP Market for industry professionals, which runs Sunday-Thursday in New York, is part of the Manhattan-based independent filmmaker organization's Independent Film Week, which also features the public Filmmaker Conference and the IFP Awards Luncheon.
More than half of the projects selected for this year's market are documentaries, with 46% of the projects at script stage.
The projects are invited to participate in three sections: No Borders International Co-Production Market, Spotlight on Documentaries and Emerging Narratives.
IFP executive director Michelle Byrd said that the IFP Market offers an environment for individuals in independent film to begin "the long road to building heat, excitement and money" for projects.
Among the events is an exclusive 28-minute sneak peek of upcoming projects either near completion or on the festival circuit from the U.K.
The IFP Market for industry professionals, which runs Sunday-Thursday in New York, is part of the Manhattan-based independent filmmaker organization's Independent Film Week, which also features the public Filmmaker Conference and the IFP Awards Luncheon.
More than half of the projects selected for this year's market are documentaries, with 46% of the projects at script stage.
The projects are invited to participate in three sections: No Borders International Co-Production Market, Spotlight on Documentaries and Emerging Narratives.
IFP executive director Michelle Byrd said that the IFP Market offers an environment for individuals in independent film to begin "the long road to building heat, excitement and money" for projects.
Among the events is an exclusive 28-minute sneak peek of upcoming projects either near completion or on the festival circuit from the U.K.
- 9/14/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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