A Cristal clear 1st impression

Queer Actor Qya Cristal makes film debut, playing alongside RuPaul’s Drag Race’s Kelly Mantle

By: Ben Nelson Special to TRT

Queer actor Qya Cristal makes their lead acting debut in A Lasting First Impression, a film starring RuPaul’s Drag Race’s Kelly Mantle.

While Mantle plays a cabaret performer, mourning over the loss of her deceased brother, Cristal takes on the role of Mantle’s friend, Naomi. “The story dives deep into who the characters are, their relationships with each other, and how each strives to cope with loss,” Cristal explains.

The depth of the film, and the fact that it depicts drag queens as three-dimensional characters, is important.

“So many films portray drag queens as funny clowns to laugh along with but in A Lasting First Impression, we’re human,” Cristal reflects. “We’re depicted as characters that have lives, complications, triumphs, and slumps.

“The more we can integrate drag culture into film and TV, the better it will be for our society as a whole. Drag performers are not some strange ‘other’, we work in your communities, live in your neighborhoods, and can coexist peacefully.”

The production was filmed in Albany and upstate New York, something Qya