By: Valerie Milano
Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 9/13/2024 – Movies are written and produced for many reasons. Some comment on social topics, some recount history, and some tell a story that is informative and may lead a viewer to a moral conclusion.
Every now and again, a film is made just because it’s fun to write, fun to direct, and the characters are fun to portray. And the result is – you guessed it – pure FUN.
Such is the case with “Willa Justice: Drag Queen Private Eye,” a short film that will be featured at the 29 Queer Film Festival in 29 Palms, Calif., Sept. 20th-22nd. The film, which stars drag performer Lady Chilane as the title character, is a campy rendition of the private eye/spy genre brought to you by writer/director Jonathan Andre Culliton.
Culliton joined The Hollywood Times this week to talk about his delightful production, which was filmed in and around the high-desert community of 29 Palms, the location of this inaugural film fest.
Click below for exclusive interview:
“I came up with this about five years ago, when I was looking for something, to showcase my comedic voice,” he said, adding the film was his vision of a drag queen influenced by years of watching characters like Austin Powers and shows like the BBC’s stylish spy series, ‘The Avengers.’ “I was really into spy stuff and goofiness.”
A potent mix when combined, and “Willa Justice” does a masterful job of bringing those two elements together. In fact, Culliton explained that the 29 Queer Film Festival owes its very existence to his film.
“One of the reasons we founded the festival was to make a special night for this film in particular. 29 Palms really is a small town with a huge creative population that is also home to a really large military base. So, there are some different ideologies at play here, so to be able to bring this type of programming to the town is really important, really special to us,” Culliton said.
The 15-minute film will be screened on Saturday, Sept. 21st at 8 p.m. at Theater 29 during a special evening that will include a panel discussion with the cast and crew of the film, a drag performance and some “Drag Queen Bingo” hosted by Lady Chilane. Fresh pizza will be provided by the I Fall to Pizza pizzeria located in 29 Palms.
Lady Chilane leads the cast that includes Scott Turner Schofield as Willa’s love interest, “Jamie Bondopolous,” and Heather Muriel Nguyen as “Pink Face,” the film’s villain. Culliton, Schofield, Graham Kolbeins and Felix Mack produced the film, while Lady Chilane and Nguyen were the film’s executive producers.
For tickets, check out the festival’s website or the Theater 29 website.
