Vera Drew: Last News

Owen Gleiberman Chief Film Critic “The People’s Joker,” a scandalous IP-on-acid coming-out comic-book psychodrama, is a movie that has all the earmarks of an underground/ midnight/guerrilla-cinema sensation. Vera Drew, who directed and co-wrote it, plays the title character, a mentally fractured aspiring stand-up comedian who bills herself as Joker the Harlequin.

Vera Drew’s The People’s Joker – which was pulled from TIFF in 2022 over “rights issues” — starts a theatrical debut today at the IFC Center, moving to LA’s Landmark’s Nuart next weekend and expanding thereafter with about 85 booking so far — a nice outcome for the mixed-media coming-of-age dark superhero parody that “had gone into into hibernation mode” until Outfest LA Film Festival, said Frank Jaffe, whose distribution company Altered Innocence acquired it then. It’s U.S premiere garnered a Special Mention in the North American Narrative Feature Competition.

William Earl administrator Although her tastes largely align with subversive voices like Eric André and Sacha Baron Cohen, Todd Phillips’ 2019 box office hit “Joker” captivated alt-comedian Vera Drew. “Warner Bros. made a Batman movie about class struggle, the mental health crisis, the fact that our city structures and government systems are completely failing,” she said.

The People’s Joker, the transgender Joker parody film that was banned by Warner Bros.Directed by American filmmaker Vera Drew, the film was first screened at the Toronto Film Festival back in 2022. Immediately after its premiere, a “media conglomerate” (which Dew did not disclose) filed a cease-and-desist order against the film, causing all screenings to be shut down and leaving the future of the movie uncertain.The film has now received a US release date set for April 5.

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.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter “The People’s Joker,” a queer comic book parody that garnered headlines after getting axed from the Toronto Film Festival lineup, is heading to the big screen. Los Angeles-based distributor Altered Innocence acquired the film, which will open in theaters on April 5. Vera Drew directed “The People’s Joker,” which was slated to play in 2022 at TIFF.

Outfest announced its grand jury prize winners today, after the LGBTQIA+ film festival in Los Angeles wrapped its 41st edition.

Peter Debruge Chief Film Critic In the DC Extended Universe, it’s not the villains who have identity issues, but the heroes. Bruce Wayne watched his parents get murdered, adopted a teenage sidekick and now spends his nights cosplaying as the creature everyone associates with vampires. Kal-El also saw his parents die and goes through life trying to pass as the earthling Clark Kent, wearing spandex under his work clothes, just in case. These are not the traits of well-adjusted normies, and as such, there’s enormous subversive appeal in seeing trans artist Vera Drew turn such iconic characters inside-out in the illicitly made marvel that is “The People’s Joker.” Coming from a place of deep fan love and equally profound institutional mistrust, Drew’s anarchic feature-length parody impishly treads the line of fair use, so much so that the helmer pulled the film from the Toronto Film Festival after its raucous Midnight Madness premiere, citing “rights issues.” But what did she expect? The irreverent underground project reimagines the Joker’s origin story as a queer coming-of-age/coming-to-terms narrative, using a mishmash of styles: mostly crude live-action of the kind you expect from public-access programming (shot against greenscreens, then composited with rudimentary CG sets), embellished with various forms of homemade animation.

Batman universe called The People’s Joker has been pulled from Toronto International Film Festival.The film, which reimagines the character of the Joker through a transgender origin story, had one public screening before the rest were cancelled over “rights issues”.A message on the TIFF ticketing page reads: “The filmmaker has withdrawn this film due to rights issues. We apologise for any inconvenience.

Vera Drew has removed her film The People’s Joker from the Toronto Film Festival lineup, per fest organizers.

Director: Aitch Alberto

Wilson Chapman editorGet ready to crank up that polka music. “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story,” the upcoming Roku original film starring Daniel Radcliffe as the beloved parody musician, will make its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.The film will screen Sept. 8, TIFF’s opening night, as the first film in the festival’s annual Midnight Madness programming series.