After seeing her DC-inspired debut feature The People’s Joker pulled from TIFF 2022 over what the fest described as “right’s issues,” Vera Drew has secured a North American release for the film via L.A.-based indie distributor Altered Innocence.
A mixed-media dark comedy drawing inspiration from Drew’s personal life, the film is set to open at IFC Center in New York City on April 5th, 2024, with additional markets and engagements to be announced at a later date.
Co-written by Drew and Bri LeRose, the film reimagining the origin story of iconic Batman villain The Joker sees Drew’s painfully unfunny aspiring clown grapple with her gender identity while unsuccessfully attempting to join the ranks of Gotham City’s sole comedy program, in a world where comedy has been outlawed. Uniting with a ragtag team of rejects and misfits, Joker the Harlequin forms an illegal anti-comedy troupe that puts her on a collision course with the devious caped crusader controlling the city.
Featuring cameos by such notables as Tim Heidecker, Bob Odenkirk, Maria Bamford and Scott Aukerman, the film’s principal cast also includes Lynn Downey, Nathan Faustyn and Kane Distler, among others. Joey Lyons produced alongside EPs Richie Doyle, Conor Hannon and Riccardo Maddalosso.
While the attention-grabbing title was pulled from TIFF immediately following its premiere screening in the Midnight Madness section, it went on to make its U.S. premiere at this year’s Outfest LA Film Festival, where it was awarded a Special Mention in North American Narrative Feature competition.
In a statement on the People’s Joker acquisition, Altered Innocence founder Frank Jaffe observed that “Vera Drew has taken her own life experiences and traumas to craft an entirely new genre of cinema” with the film “that blurs the lines between documentary, coming-of-age film, and parody.” Continued Jaffe, “We couldn’t be more thrilled to champion this bold, intelligent, and hilarious piece of queer cinema that audiences around the globe have fallen in love with.”
Drew stated, for her part, that she’s “absolutely thrilled” to be bringing The People’s Joker to theaters next spring, courtesy of Altered Innocence. “This movie started as a DIY community project for queer artists and I made it with my friends to process what it was like coming out as a trans woman working in the film and TV industry,” she said. “It has been a long road freeing The People’s Joker and finding a release plan that rings true to the queer, anarchist spirit we had while making it. What better home than among Altered Innocence’s catalog of gorgeously gay and deliciously edgy films.”
While it’s not clear exactly what work was done to free the film from the rights issues that plagued it at TIFF, the team behind the project has made sure to underscore that it is “in no way created by, endorsed by, or affiliated with DC Comics or any of its related companies.”
Jaffe negotiated the deal for Altered Innocence, with UTA and Rise Management on behalf of the filmmakers.
