ALASKA IS A DRAG is a Fish out of water story – literally. Our hero Leo is an aspiring superstar (Martin L. Washington Jr.) stuck working in a fish cannery in Alaska. Leo sees disco balls in the scales of the fish he slices. Everyone who slices fish all day, daydreams – Leo’s are glamtastic.
Most of the time, Leo and his twin sister Tristen (Maya Washington) are left to fend for themselves. To escape the monotony of fist fights and fish guts, they create their own magic – the Northern L...
ALASKA IS A DRAG is a Fish out of water story – literally. Our hero Leo is an aspiring superstar (Martin L. Washington Jr.) stuck working in a fish cannery in Alaska. Leo sees disco balls in the scales of the fish he slices. Everyone who slices fish all day, daydreams – Leo’s are glamtastic.
Most of the time, Leo and his twin sister Tristen (Maya Washington) are left to fend for themselves. To escape the monotony of fist fights and fish guts, they create their own magic – the Northern Lights follow them.
They hang out at the one gay bar in a hundred miles, owned by their surly surrogate mom – Jan (Margaret Cho). Their real mom (Nia Peeples) left years ago and their dad George (Kevin Daniels) preaches on the side of the road.
After years of getting beat up by his former best friend, Kyle (Christopher O'Shea), Leo has learned to fight back – his skills catch the eye of his cannery boss, an amateur boxer (Jason Scott Lee) who offers to train him to be a fighter. And when the new kid in town, Declan (Matt Dallas), wants to be his sparring partner – Leo’s world turns upside down.
When Tristen enters Leo in a drag competition – he's never performed for anyone but her – his worlds collide – the drag audition falls on the same day as the qualifying round for boxing and Leo has to face the real reason, he's afraid to leave Alaska.
Queerguru said this about the Feature Film: “In her enchanting feature debut writer/director Shaz Bennett spares no punches in showing how brutal and isolated Alaska can be especially if you are anything different than the norm.”
Written & Directed by:
SHAZ BENNETT
Produced by:
MELANIE MILLER, DIANE BECKER, SHAZ BENNETT, JEAN-PIERRE CANER
Executive Producers:
P. DAVID EBERSOLE, TODD HUGHES, MAYA WASHINGTON, MICHAEL PAOLILLO, RYAN SMITH
Director of Photography:
ALISON KELLY
Production Designer:
MICHAEL FITZGERALD
Costume Designer:
LAUREN SILVESTRI
Editors:
JEAN-PIERRE CANER, LEX BENEDICT, BROOKE SEBOLD
Music by:
MACIEJ ZIELINSKI
Additional Music:
ALEXIS MARSH, SAMUEL JONES,
Casting by:
CHANELLE DESAUTELS & JOHANNA WEIRAUCH