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Indie movie production companies2/8/2024 ![]() ![]() Featuring a standout comedic performance by Ramona Milano (“Degrassi: The Next Generation”) as an overly supportive mother, the film follows a directionless twenty-something trans girl named Renata (Carmen Madonia) over one week of family vacation. A Canadian filmmaker of Italian descent, her debut feature “ Something You Said Last Night” is a sharply observed family dramedy that just so happens to have a trans lead. One of the youngest filmmakers on this list, Luis De Filippis is just getting started. Her 2014 feature “Lyle” starred Gaby Hoffmann as a mother grieving her toddler, earning indie film street cred for its queer twist on “Rosemary’s Baby.” She’ll soon follow that up with the queer ensemble thriller “Bad Things”: Thorndike’s take on “The Shining,” which stars the powerhouse “GLOW” star Gayle Rankin as an even messier Jack Torrance. Wholly original and deeply rooted in genre film history, her films use horror tropes to probe the darker sides of motherhood, relationships, and emotional interiority. Whatever image is conjured up by the phrase “ feminist horror,” Stewart Thorndike’s films cannot be defined by such a tidy catchphrase. ![]() Image Credit: Courtesy of Stewart Thorndike Drucker is the definition of putting in the work, and it’s high time she gets her flowers. She’s been a mover and shaker since her days as a producer on “Transparent,” and she really stepped into her own in 2021 as co-director of the riveting HBO docuseries “ The Lady and The Dale.” This year, she really took her rightful place center stage to direct the Hulu series “Queenmaker: The Making of an It Girl.” She also co-directed (with Kristen Lovell) “The Stroll,” a long overdue documentary about the history of trans sex workers in New York’s Meatpacking District. But unlike those born into royalty, Zackary Drucker has been hustling hard for her crown. To quote one of the greatest semi-queer TV shows of all time, “ The Wire,” the queen stays the queen. Image Credit: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for SXSW Whether they’ve been household names for awhile or are just beginning to make their presence felt, here are ten LGBTQ creators on the rise in June 2023. In the spirit of being in the know, it’s important to highlight and celebrate the queer filmmakers, writers, and creators who are setting - and raising - the bar for queer storytelling. With such narrow margins, every success deserves major recognition. Although demand for LGBTQ content is rising, there seem to be fewer paths to success for queer creators than ever. For marginalized creators who may be shut out from other ways in the door, this discrepancy is felt exponentially. As the recent WGA strike put forth as one of the union’s many talking points, opportunities for learning on the job are falling by the wayside in the new system. When it comes to directing and showrunning, mentorship is the main way emerging talent can gain experience on film and TV sets. “ Work in Progress,” “ Los Espookys,” and “ A League of Their Own” are recent examples of beloved queer series that were canceled too soon. On the TV side, even when queer-led projects earn critical acclaim and dedicated followings, it’s rare to get more than two seasons. ![]() Trace Lysette served as an executive producer on her new film “Monica,” which took over six years to secure funding despite having Patricia Clarkson attached. In an industry that often purports to celebrate difference until it comes to who gets the big bucks, LGBTQ talent often have to work twice as hard to get half as far in Hollywood. As proven by the diabolical gay delights of “ The White Lotus” or the lustfully longing glances in “A Portrait of a Lady on Fire,” it just hits different when we’re in charge. While we’d never dictate what stories creators are allowed to write, the proof is often in the pudding when it comes to queer film and TV. Just as you study the labels on your food or the sustainability of your clothing, audiences should be informed as to who is behind the camera (and pages) when it comes to queer stories. As LGBTQ characters and stories become the norm - mercifully, no longer an outlier or cause for surprise - it’s more important than ever to check your sources. ![]()
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