Shannon Funchess, inspired by the story of “‘Iceberg Slim’, a.k.a. ‘The Pimp’ figure”, is an icon in the underground music scene—known for being the founder, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist of the dark, electronic band Light Asylum.

Funchess developed her powerful contralto singing in a Southern Baptist church choir as a child, adding Joy Division and Bauhaus to her list of influences as a teen. She has collaborated with acts such as TV on the Radio, The Knife, and LCD Soundsystem to name a few. In 2015, she participated in a Knight Foundation residency in Detroit, spearheaded by the electronic duo Adult.

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John Kelly, inspired by the story of “Toby Dammit” a.ka.”The Actor”, is an award-winning New York City downtown legend whose works dealing with queer identity and the AIDS crisis have been performed at The Kitchen, Lincoln Center, The Warhol Museum, The Whitney Biennial, PS 122, Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Next Wave Festival, and London’s Tate Modern. He has collaborated with composers David Del Tredici, Laurie Anderson and The Jazz Passengers, and his acting credits include “The Clerk’s Tale”(Spencer Reese), a film by James Franco. His musical gender-crossing performance as Joni Mitchell, brought Mitchell herself to tears, calling his portrayal “uncanny.”

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Viva Ruiz, inspired by the work of “Marguerite Duras, a.k.a. ‘The Lover’”, is a musician and Ecua Yorquina multidisciplinary performance artist whose work navigates through diverse cultural intersections. As a musician, Ruiz has collaborated with Desi Santiago from the Latin art-house duo Escandalo and sound maestro Gavilan Rayna Russom (LCD Soundsystem) in the disco mystic commune, The Crystal Ark. As a dancer and performance artist, Ruiz has performed with Debbie Harry, Danzig, The Big Art Group, the Caribbean queer RAGGA collectives’ 2017 residency at the New Museum NYC, and she stars in Bruce La Bruce’s latest feature The Misandrists. As a filmmaker, her telenovelas have premiered at Deitch Projects, NYC and internationally.

Directed, Produced and Edited by Michelle Handelman

Starring Shannon Funchess, John Kelly, Viva Ruiz

Produced by John Morrow

Co-produced by Kenneth Filmer & Thomas Burr Dodd, Brooklyn Fireproof Films

Cinematography by Ed David

Costumes by Karen Young, Zaldy, Neon Music

Set Design by And Or Forever

Sound Design by Quentin Chiappetta

Still Photography by Mr. Means

Original music by John Kelly & Carol Lipnik, Viva Ruiz & BEARCAT, Shannon Funchess and Jonathan Kreinik