Art The Journal: So you based yourself in New York and got involved with the Brooklyn Film Collective, workshopped, and both wrote and co-wrote screenplays. And you were interested in expressing ideas related to social issues.
Lessovitz: It delayed the rollout. We were going to go all out during Pride Month in 2020, but…well, that didn’t happen. So it opened in theaters in May of 2021. And I think it remains a time capsule of 2017.
Lessovitz: Yes. I needed to have conversations that described economic inequality and toxic masculinity and white supremacy…also, politics…and nature.
The Journal: I’m glad we’ll be able to see it in Milford on a big screen. Tell, me, what are you working on at the moment?
The Journal: After Mobile Homes, which was a short documentary you made that was shown at Cannes, came your first feature-length film, Port Authority. How was it that you became interested in the ballroom community?
Lessovitz: I’m working a few things. I have a project in Alaska. I am also currently adapting a Susan Faludi book—In the Darkroom—which is about gender identity—specifically her father’s. There’s also a television project that has to remain secret for now. I continue to teach Film Directing at Rutgers University as well as teaching here in Geneva.
Lessovitz: It came about in a weird way. I didn’t even meet my father until I was 19. We developed a relationship of sorts…and then he took his life. Not too long after that I went to a ball. The dancing felt transcendent. I loved the idea of a chosen family as opposed to a genetic one. I spent some time thinking about the idea. I reached out to the community, and they pretty much welcomed me. I workshopped the script and met with many people in the Kiki Ballroom scene, adjusting the script and casting to reflect the lived experiences of the families. I loved, loved making this film. The Journal: Then covid hit.
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The Journal: I’m looking forward to those and what else you decide to do in the future. ......................................................................................... Danielle Lessovitz’s film, Port Authority, will be screened at the Black Bear Film Festival on Friday, October 15th at 5 p.m. Julia Schmitt Healy is an artist, teacher, and writer who currently lives and works in Port Jervis, N.Y. Her website is Juliahealy.com.
