Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
The 15th edition of the Lower East Side Film Festival wrapped up on Monday evening with a closing night screening with strong local interest — the NYC premiere of "The Big Johnson."
The documentary chronicling the life of Dean Johnson, the drag queen, rock star, and activist of the 1980s and 1990s East Village, took home the top prize for Best Feature.
Writer-director Lola Rocknrolla's film, the closing night screening at the Village East by Angelika, is a mesmerizing, unapologetic dive into the chaotic brilliance of Johnson's world. It captures not just a person but an era — with all its danger, glamour, and defiant joy.
Here's Rocknrolla with Festival directors (and East Village residents) Tony Castle and Roxy Hunt...
Downtown luminaries Michael Musto and Chi Chi Valenti (below) are both featured in the film.
"Lola Rock'N'Rolla has done a heroic job of compiling and condensing miles and miles of interviews and archival footage into a brilliant examination of a changing city, scene and star — namely rocker/activist Dean Johnson," Musto told me. "Dean was always mischievously dangerous in a way that we needed. In fact, I always felt safer when he was around."
Elsewhere at the theater on Second Avenue at 12th Street...
Afterward, the party moved on to the Slipper Room on Orchard Street.
The entertainment included Peekaboo Pointe ...
The Festival, which included jurors Julia Fox, Rachel Dratch, and Sophie Thatcher, also featured the NYC premiere of the SXSW selection "The True Beauty of Being Bitten by a Tick."
With its mix of local stories and bold voices, the Festival once again proved why it remains a downtown staple 15 years in.
Previously on EV Grieve:
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