THE PEOPLE’S JOKER
a film by Vera Drew
LATE NIGHT PRESENTATION
MAY 31, 2024 • 11:00 PM
@ THE BUS STOP THEATRE
(2203 GOTTINGEN STREET, HALIFAX)
2022 / USA / 92 mins
After screening once at TIFF in 2022, only to have its subsequent festival screenings pulled because of copyright complaints—a notorious origin story that only adds another layer of meta rebellion to Vera Drew’s debut feature—The People’s Joker is back!
The People’s Joker is a trans coming-of-age story taking place in Gotham City, where comedy has been monopolized by Lorne Michaels, overlord of the United Clown Bureau. Because performing comedy independently is illegal, Gotham’s outcasts sidestep the law with anti-comedy. Vera becomes Joker the Harlequin, a persona she accesses by huffing the anti-depressant Smylex, the drug that has been forcing a smile on her face since she first expressed gender dysphoria as a child.
Drew co-writes, directs, edits and stars in the film. As a performer Drew is a warm, grounding presence; as a filmmaker she elegantly combines CGI, live action and animation (crowdsourced from over 100 artists!), and through The People’s Joker she asserts the queer relevance of modern mythological IP and rejects dogmatic narratives from the worlds of comedy, superheroes and trans representation. —Rebecca Falvey
TRAILER
Vera Drew
Vera Drew is an Emmy nominated editor, director, and writer based in Los Angeles and has been involved in numerous film and television projects over the last decade. The People's Joker is her feature debut.