The low-budget DC parody film The People’s Joker has actually landed distribution and will be getting a theatrical release. This comes after the film was pulled from the Toronto International Film Festival lineup just over a year ago over rights issues.
The movie is definitely in the gray area when it when it comes to copyright issues. The filmmakers say that their movie fits under fair use and the title card for the trailer even says that “all materials used fall under fair use, protected under title 17, U.S. Code 107-118.”
The press release confirming the release date for the film reads: “The People’s Joker is in no way created by, endorsed by, or affiliated with DC Comics or any of its related companies.” I still don’t know how they are getting away with it.
Altered Innocence is the distribution company that has acquired North American distribution rights for the film, which is described as a “queer coming-of-age superhero world parody.”
The movie was directed by Vera Drew, who also edited, co-wrote, and starred. Drew shared in a statement: “I am absolutely thrilled and humbled that Altered Innocence is helping me bring The People’s Joker to theaters this spring. 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. 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.”
The People’s Joker is “a queer coming of age Joker Origin story” and the official description reads: “In the absurdist autobiographically-inspired dark comedy, a painfully unfunny aspiring clown (Vera Drew as Joker the Harlequin) grapples 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.”
The film will feature variations on DC characters including The Penguin, Scarecrow, Riddler, Bane, and Harley Quinn, plus DC locations like Smallville and Arkham Asylum also appear.
Altered Innocence founder Frank Jaffe said in a statement: “Vera Drew has taken her own life experiences and traumas to craft an entirely new genre of cinema that blurs the lines between documentary, coming-of-age film, and parody. 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.”
The film was shot entirely on green screen, the work of over 200 independent, predominantly queer creators -artists, musicians, and animators- elevates the instantaneously illustrious feature beyond genre pastiche to an overflowing richness of mixed-media visuals across 2D, 3D, stop-motion, and more forms of animation.
The People’s Joker cast includes cameos from Tim Heidecker, Bob Odenkirk, Maria Bamford (Netflix’s Big Mouth), and Scott Aukerman, with Lynn Downey (Daisy Jones & The Six), Nathan Faustyn, and Kane Distler.
David Liebe Hart (Tim and Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie), Griffin Kramer (Happy Times), Christian Calloway (Twin Peaks: The Return), Ember Knight, Dan Curry (head writer for The Eric Andre Show), Cricket Arrison, Eliot Glazer, Sandy Honig, Alec Robbins, Mia Moore Marchant, Phil Braun, Trevor Drinkwater, Daniella Baker, Bambi Bell, Denali Winter, Ruin Carroll, and Arden Hughes.
The movie will open in theaters on April 5th at the IFC Center in New York City. Additional markets and premiere dates are set to be announced later.
