A local drag performer combines haute couture and history, exploring her community heritage, as she prepares to put on her final show at the Kennedy Center.

Pussy Noir, or Jason Barnes, has been a drag performer in the Nation's Capital for several decades. A classically trained artist, the majority of Ms. Noir’s professional background is in theater and fashion design, but she combines a variety of artistic mediums and cultural influences in her performances. Working as a fellow at the Kennedy Center’s Culture Caucus for the last year, Jason has sought to elevate drag onto one of the biggest stages in the region. 

This twenty minute vérité documentary looks at the work that Jason is doing at the Kennedy Center, his evolution and education as an artist, his relationship with drag, and his family. Jason’s interest in history also takes him on a brief exploration of some early sites for drag culture in D.C. and Baltimore. The development and completion of his final project at the Kennedy Center serves as the overall background story arc for the film.

This project is currently in development/early production.  

Lucie and Annie discuss their struggle to become officially recognized as a married couple in their home state of Maine, and encourage a younger generation of activists to take up the fight for LGBTQ+ rights. 

In a buttoned-up city like DC, what happens when drag queens go rogue? LIPSTICK AND LEATHER explores the “alt-drag” community in the nation’s capital, and how these performers are spreading their influence across the east coast. 

LIPSTICK AND LEATHER was released in 2020, with Culhanimal Productions as co-producer. It has screened at the Indianapolis Film Festival, Q Fest St. Louis, Cinema Diverse: The Palm Springs LGBTQ Film Festival, Reel Affirmations, the Virginia Film Festival, and the LGBT Toronto Film Festival. LIPSTICK AND LEATHER has also been distributed by PBS's Reel South. 

For more information, visit: http://lipstickandleatherdoc.com

CALASAG follows two first-generation Filipino-American entrepreneurs , exploring culture and identity through cuisine, as they work to bring Filipino food traditions to Baltimore. 

Maryrose and Dylan worked together as CALASAG for two years. This pop-up restaurant in Baltimore City enabled a passion for Filipino cuisine to connect both young chefs with their heritage. The business grew over the years, but but was ultimately shuttered during the pandemic of 2020. This documentary, originally intended to be a feature, chronicles part of their journey, as they sought to learn more about their food culture and legacy.

CALASAG benefitted from the Saul Zaentz Innovation Fellowship at Johns Hopkins University, as well as fiscal sponsorship by the International Documentary Association.
For more information, visit: https://www.documentary.org/project/calasag

Dotted with palm trees and coral reefs, Guam is United States territory where military men and Japanese tourists abound. A seemingly perfect backdrop for a strip club, the island should sound ideal to any girl coming from Portland, Atlanta, or Anchorage to work as an exotic dancer.

But is it? Exotic foregrounds the stories of workers, as they discuss this fluid and secretive world…

EXOTIC was released in 2016, and had the benefit of fiscal sponsorship through Women in Film and Video. It screened at the Indie Capitol Awards, the Guam International Film Festival, the San Francisco Sex Worker Film and Arts Festival, SECS Fest, and the International Freethought Festival. It has aired on Italian Television and is available to stream on Amazon Prime. 

For more information, visit: http://exoticdocumentary.com

Many people have the impression that the Riot Grrrl movement in the mid-90s was the end-all, be-all of female involvement in DIY punk. This is definitely not the case! Plenty of amazing ladies prior to this era paved the way for it, and plenty of amazing ladies continue to help keep DIY together today. This documentary chronicles the past 30 years of female involvement in DIY punk, and has interviews with over 30 women from across the country, ages 17 to 40. Race, gender, sexuality, motherhood, class, and activism are all addressed in this film, giving a more complete picture of how these women participate in the DIY community, and how it affects their daily lives.

FROM THE BACK OF THE ROOM was released in 2011. It screened at numerous festivals and venues across seventeen countries, and is included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. FROM THE BACK OF THE ROOM is available to stream on Amazon Prime and Kanopy.

For more information, visit: http://fromthebackoftheroom.com/ftbotr.htm