An Engrossing Portrait of Four of the Most
Revolutionary Women, Artists and Activists of NYC
—Amanda Lepore, Chloe Dzubilo, Sophia Lamar, and
T De Long—and a Love Letter to the City and Its Culture
of Resilience, the Documentary Feature Premieres
on VOD on Tuesday, September 1st
The documentary feature debut by Gustavo Sánchez that follows four of the most iconic artists and activists of the city’s legendary and bygone underground scene: Amanda Lepore, Chloe Dzubilo, Sophia Lamar, and T De Long.
A favorite at numerous international film festivals, including San Sebastian, Raindance, Thessaloniki, and NewFest: New York’s LGBTQ Film Festival, I Hate New York premieres Tuesday, September 1st on VOD and will be available to stream on iTunes, Amazon Prime, Google Play, Microsoft, Vudu, and In Demand.
For over a decade, between 2007 and 2017, director Sánchez followed the artists and the activists around Manhattan’s rapidly changing East Village, capturing hundreds of hours of footage. He set his eye on the survivors of the underground scene that emerged in the late eighties and began to fade after 9/11.
I Hate New York is the result of intimate conversations between the filmmaker and his triptych of captivating and driven female artists and activists. In taxis, Tompkins Square Park, and impossibly small apartments, Dzubilo, Lamar, Lepore, and De Long, offer their unfiltered thoughts on everything from success and rivalry to gentrification and the utter pointlessness of nostalgia. These interviews are supplemented by commentary from the women’s fellow Village characters and creatives, including Bibbe Hansen, iO Tillett Wright, Katrina del Mar, and Linda Simpson.
With unprecedented access to these larger-than-life figures, executive produced by J.A. Bayona (A Monster Calls), and featuring a potent soundtrack with the music of Arca, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Alva Noto, and Sharon Needles, among others, Sánchez provides an engrossing cinematic portrait of four revolutionary women through their extraordinary stories and lives that have influenced younger generations of transgender artists and activists.
Released at a time when the city is poised for yet another transformation, I Hate New York is also a love letter that plays testament to the resilience of the inhabitants and the artists who’ve called—and continue to call—New York City home.
Official website:
http://ihatenewyorkmovie.com/
About the Subjects:
Amanda Lepore. For the first time in history, the viewer is given access to the most intimate and unknown side of the celebrated model, actress, muse to David LaChapelle and icon of the New York night. The famous transgender diva of the New York scene is an authentic sculpture in movement.
Chloe Dzubilo.I Hate New York reveals the previously untold story of the leader of legendary punk group Transisters and one of the most important activists in the defense of the trans community’s civil rights during the most critical years of the AIDS epidemic.
Sophia Lamar. Actress, singer, model and true underground legend of the New York artistic avant-garde, she emigrated from Cuba during the explosion of punk in NYC and was one of the most famous of the Club Kids, exploring fashion, performance and video art.
T De Long. Rapper, DJ and activist for social justice during the era of downtown Manhattan’s widespread gentrification. This documentary gathers the most transcendental moments of her adventurous and hazardous life.
