Boxing and Drag Shows

Alaska is a Drag

No Film Poster available at time of publication

Director: Shaz Bennett

Cast: Martin L. Washington Jr, Maya Washington, Matt Dallas, Christopher O’Shea, Jason Scott Lee, Margaret Cho, Nia Peeples, John Fleck, Kevin Daniels

As seen at DIFF 2018 – https://durbanfilmfest.co.za/

Spoiler Alert Valid for Date of Commercial Release if applicable

Director Shaz Bennett takes cinematic Indie Hip to a new level in the cleverly poignant coming of age drama Alaska is a Drag featuring a standout performance by Martin L. Washington Jr as Leo an aspiring drag queen who has ambitions of leaving isolated Alaska where he is packing and gutting fish for a living and looking after his sister Tristen played by Maya Washington.

When the heavy drinking boxer Declan arrives in town and also starts working at the fish cannery, there is immediate attraction but as director Shaz Bennett explores so deftly that often affection between men can quickly evolve into violence.

Leo ditches his drag ambitions which are clearly influenced by such pop diva’s as Grace Jones and Eartha Kitt and takes up the extremely masculine sport of boxing where he also fights his repressive former friend Kyle played by Christopher O’Shea.

Heavily influenced by Gus Van Sant’s My Own Private Idaho, Alaska is a Drag was a treat to watch at the 39th Durban International Film Festival  https://durbanfilmfest.co.za/ and would surely be a hit at many Queer film festivals both in South Africa and abroad.

Audiences should watch out for Fashion Police’s Margaret Cho as the surly bar tender who decides to host a drag competition with hilarious results.

For all its quirky characters and a beautifully poignant ending, Alaska is a Drag is a complex yet amusing film about beautiful people with dazzling dreams stuck in a small town community. Highly recommended viewing.

Alaska is a Drag gets a film rating of 7 out of 10 and is original, hilarious and gorgeously shot. A cinematic treat.

 

Comments are closed.

Film Directors & Festivals
Reviews and Awards
Review Calender
August 2018
M T W T F S S
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728293031  
  • Cineflix Rights Boards Nordic Blue Crime ‘Hildur,’ Toplining Ebba Katrín Finnsdóttir, Lauri Tilkanen, Rick Okon (EXCLUSIVE)
    London-based Cineflix Rights has snapped up international rights to the premium crime series “Hildur” which just started filming in Iceland for production partners Take Two Studios, Sagafilm, Nelonen Media’s streamer Ruutu in Finland, Simínn in Iceland and private funder IPR.VC. The six-part series, primarily in the English-language, is based on Satu Rämö’s literary phenomenon “Hildur,” which sold […]
    John Hopewell
  • Goldfinch Stakes Claim in Indonesian Creative Economy With Government-Backed Venture (EXCLUSIVE)
    U.K. entertainment financier Goldfinch is making power moves in Southeast Asia’s largest market, inking a landmark joint venture to launch Goldfinch Indonesia. The deal, unveiled in Jakarta, brings heavyweight local players Synco and Goshen Group into the fold as the company aims to transform Indonesia’s creative industries. The venture, which was officially witnessed by Indonesia’s […]
    Naman Ramachandran
  • All Quiet on the Berlin Deals Front but EFM Still Serves as an Efficient Marketplace, Buyers Report
    It’s all quiet on the Berlin deals front as the sales agencies wind down their operations at the European Film Market. By Monday, many offices and stands were almost completely deserted. Deals are being reported but it’s more of a “steady flow” than a gush. That said, most sales agents remain happy that the EFM […]
    Leo Barraclough
  • ‘Spring Night’ Review: Kang Mi-ja Returns With a Compact Co-Dependency Drama
    The second feature from Kang Mi-ja — and her first after a gap of 17 years — “Spring Night” is a tender, compact relationship drama about ships passing in the night, buoyed by a pair of stellar performances working in completely different modes. Adapted from Kwon Yeo-sun’s novel, its tale of an alcoholic woman and […]
    Siddhant Adlakha
  • ‘Bookie’ Canceled at Max After Two Seasons (EXCLUSIVE)
    All bets are off. “Bookie” has been canceled by Max after two seasons, Variety has learned exclusively. The comedy series starred Sebastian Maniscalco as a veteran bookmaker in Los Angeles who must fight to survive the legalization of sports gambling while navigating unstable clients. Created by Chuck Lorre and Nick Bakay, the show premiered on […]
    Ethan Shanfeld
  • Read More
    Different providers offer different cell phones, so take a look at the options from each provider to choose the right one for you. You may also want to look into any promotions that the providers have to offer, such as free cell phones in exchange for signing a contract. Tags: 2gmhass90