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Queendom (film)

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Queendom
Theatrical release poster
Directed byAgniya Galdanova
Screenplay by
  • Agniia Galdanova
  • Igor Myakotin
Produced by
  • Agniia Galdanova
  • Igor Myakotin
StarringGena Marvin
CinematographyRuslan Fedotov
Edited byVlad Fishez
Distributed by
Release dates
  • March 11, 2023 (2023-03-11) (South by Southwest)
  • June 14, 2024 (2024-06-14) (United States)
Running time
98 minutes
Countries
  • United States
  • France
LanguageRussian

Queendom is a 2023 American-French documentary film, directed and co-written by Agniia Galdanova. It portrays the Russian performance artist Gena Marvin, who attracts the attention of the public and the government of her country with her provocative works, in which she transforms her own body into gigantic, menacing silhouettes.[1]

It had its world premiere at the South by Southwest on March 11, 2023,[2] and was released on June 14, 2024 in United States.[3]

It was shortlisted in Best Documentary Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards on 17 December 2024.[4][5]

Content

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Gena Marvin, a queer artist hailing from a small Russian town, creates otherworldly costumes from junk and tape to protest the government in Moscow. At just 21, having grown up on the harsh streets of Magadan, a former Soviet gulag outpost, she stages radical public performances that blend art and activism. Through these often dark, strange, and evocative displays, Gena aims to challenge perceptions of beauty and queerness while highlighting the harassment faced by the LGBTQ+ community. These performances, deeply rooted in her subconscious, come at a significant personal cost.[2]

She is known for her provocative works that always create a buzz. During a photo shoot with her friend, she dons a gigantic silhouette outfit. However, when she enters a grocery store in this attire, the employees ask her to leave, deeming it inappropriate and comparable to lingerie.[6]

"I like the idea that people can feel different emotions from anger to fear or joy when looking at my art." Gena Marvin on the effect of her art on the people.[7]

Cast

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Production

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Director Agnija Galdanova

The film is directed by Agnija Galdanova, who met Gena Marvin in 2019 while researching for a planned documentary. At the time, she lived in St. Petersburg near the director's mother home.[8]

For the filming, Galdanova collaborated with cinematographer Ruslan Fedotov.[8] They captured footage at a Navalny demonstration, in Moscow, in a suburb of St. Petersburg, and in Gena Marvin's hometown of Magadan. The film's producer, Igor Myakotin, is also from Magadan.[9]

Release

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Queendom premiered on March 11, 2023, at the South by Southwest Film Festival.[2][10] Later in March, it was screened at CPH:DOX, the Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival. The film was showcased at the Millennium Docs Against Gravity held from May 12 to 21, 2023,[11] At the end of May 2023, it was screened at the Mammoth Lakes Film Festival, and then at the Toronto LGBT Film Festival (Inside Out) held from May 25 to June 4, 2023. It also made to the Sydney Film Festival held from June 7 to June 18, 2023. At the end of June 2023, it was also shown at the Munich Film Festival.[12]

At the end of September, beginning of October 2023, it was shown at the Reykjavík International Film Festival.[13] In October 2023, it competed at the Zurich Film Festival in the Documentary Competition[14] and the 2023 BFI London Film Festival.[15] In November 2023, the film was screened at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival.[16]

In January 2024, Queendom was screened at the 35th Palm Springs International Film Festival in the Talking Pictures section.[17] At the end of January, beginning of February 2024, it was shown at the Gothenburg Film Festival.[18]

The film was released in United Kingdom cinemas on 1 December 2023, and was released on video-on-demand on the same day.[19][20] On June 14, 2024, the film was released in selected United States theaters.[21]

Reception

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Critical response

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On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes website, the film has an approval rating of 100% based on 18 reviews, with an average rating of 8.2/10.[22] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 82 out of 100 based on 6 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[23]

Wendy Ide reviewing for The Guardian rated the film with four stars out of five and wrote, "To call Gena a drag artist fails to capture just how subversive and courageous are her public "performances"."[24]

Manuel Betancourt, writing in Variety in his review Betancourt said: "Agniia Galdanova’s Oscar-shortlisted doc on a Russian drag artist and activist Gena Marvin is a heartbreaking portrait of strength and resilience." Betancourt concluded: Queendom is both a powerful portrait of a queer artist as well as a sly call to arms."[25]

Vladan Petkovic reviewing the film at CPH:DOX 2023 for Cineuropa wrote, "Agniia Galdanova's CPH:DOX prizewinner is an urgent, rich portrait of a Russian queer artist fighting prejudice and heavy-handed patriarchy."[26]

Stephanie Archer reviewing for Film Inquiry at SXSW Film Festival 2023, wrote, "Queendom is a beautiful film of pain, emotion, expression, and resilience."[6]

Accolades

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Award Date Category Recipient Result Ref.
South by Southwest 19 March 2023 Documentary Feature Competition Queendom Nominated [3]
CPH:DOX 26 March 2023 Grand jury Next:Wave Award Agniia Galdanova Won [27]
OUTshine Film Festival Miami 30 April 2023 Best Documentary Film Agniia Galdanova 2 [28]
Filmfest München 30 June 2023 CineRebels Award – Special Mention Queendom Won [29]
Camden International Film Festival 18 September 2023 Audience Award Queendom Won [30]
Zurich Film Festival 10 October 2023 Documentary Competition – Special Mention Queendom Won [14]
Audience Award Won
BFI London Film Festival 15 October 2023 Documentary Competition Queendom Nominated [31]
International Documentary Association Awards 5 December 2024 Best Feature Documentary Queendom Nominated [32]
Best Director Agniia Galdanova Nominated
Best Cinematography Ruslan Fedotov Won
Cinema Eye Honors 9 January 2025 Outstanding Visual Design Agniia Galdanova Pending [33]
The Unforgettables Gena Marvin Won [34]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Agniia Galdanova (12 September 2023). "Queendom". Cineuropa. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  2. ^ a b c "Queendom". South by Southwest. 11 March 2023. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  3. ^ a b Carey, Matthew (11 March 2023). "Dynamic Queer Artist Defies Russia's Anti-LGBTQ Crusade In SXSW World Premiere 'Queendom'". Deadline. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  4. ^ "97th Oscars Shortlists in 10 Award Categories Announced". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 17 December 2024. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  5. ^ Kimberly Nordyke, Beatrice Verhoeven (17 December 2024). "Academy Unveils Shortlists in 10 Oscar Categories". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  6. ^ a b Archer, Stephanie (13 March 2023). "SXSW Film Festival 2023:". Film Inquiry. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  7. ^ Llewellyn Reed, Christopher (16 April 2021). "Artist Gena Marvin turns his childhood trauma into nightmarish drag looks". Dazed Media. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  8. ^ a b Llewellyn Reed, Christopher (16 March 2023). "SXSW Interview with Queendom Director Agniia Galdanova and Producer Igor Myakotin". Film Festival Today. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  9. ^ Saiti, Stephen (20 March 2023). "SXSW 2023 Review: "Queendom" Artfully Takes on a Kingdom in Russia". The Moveable Fest. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  10. ^ Kudláč, Martin (7 March 2023). "Immersive European works prevail in the SXSW 2023 line-up". Cineuropa. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  11. ^ "20. Festiwal Filmowy Millennium Docs Against Gravity – Zwycięzcy 20. edycji festiwalu MDAG". archiwum2023.wkinach.mdag.pl. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  12. ^ "Queendom screenings". Queendom Doc. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  13. ^ Lemercier, Fabien (27 September 2023). "The Reykjavík International Film Festival celebrates its 20th anniversary". Cineuropa. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  14. ^ a b Del Don, Muriel (10 October 2023). "Hesitation Wound scoops the Golden Eye at the Zurich Film Festival". Cineuropa. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  15. ^ Katz, David (1 September 2023). "The 67th BFI London Film Festival unveils its full programme". Cineuropa. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  16. ^ Siim Lõvi (27 October 2023). "PÖFF объявил полную программу фестиваля" [PÖFF has announced the full program of the festival]. ERR (in Russian). Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  17. ^ Wu, Valerie (5 December 2023). "Palm Springs International Film Festival to Open With 'Wicked Little Letters,' Full Lineup Announced". Variety. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  18. ^ "Queendom". Gothenburg Film Festival. 10 January 2024. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  19. ^ Robson, Graham (13 November 2023). "Queendom: New documentary follows Gena Marvin, a queer artist from a small town in Russia, who wants to change people's perception of queerness in Russia". Scene Magazine. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  20. ^ Morey, Alice (2 October 2023). "Queendom: UK cinema release date announced for Gena Marvin doc". Gay Times. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  21. ^ Castillo, Monica (14 June 2024). "Queendom". Roger Ebert. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  22. ^ "Queendom, Documentary". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  23. ^ "Queendom". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  24. ^ Ide, Wendy (3 December 2023). "Dahomey review – interrogative reverie about looted African sculptures". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  25. ^ Betancourt, Manuel (17 December 2024). "'Queendom' Review: Fabulous Doc Spotlights the Beauty and Cost of Queer Artistry in Putin's Russia". Variety. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  26. ^ Petkovic, Vladan (29 March 2023). "Review: Queendom". Cineuropa. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  27. ^ Economou, Vassilis (27 March 2023). "Motherland triumphs at CPH:DOX". Cineuropa. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  28. ^ "Queendom". OUTshine Film Festival. 23 March 2023. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  29. ^ "The 40th FILMFEST MÜNCHEN is coming to an end, all prizes have been awarded. Here is an overview of all winners and the juries' statements". Filmfest München. 1 July 2023. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  30. ^ Carey, Matthew (18 September 2023). "'Three Promises', 'Queendom', 'Knit's Island' Win Prizes As Camden International Film Festival Wraps 19th Edition". Deadline. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  31. ^ Rivera, Alfonso (29 August 2023). "Competition films announced for 67th BFI London Film Festival". BFI London Film Festival. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  32. ^ Bergeson, Samantha (19 November 2024). "IDA Documentary Awards Announces 2024 Nominees: 'Sugarcane,' 'No Other Land,' and More". IndieWire. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  33. ^ Pedersen, Erik (14 November 2024). "Cinema Eye Honors Film Nominations: 'Sugarcane' Leads With Six; Four Docs Tied With Five Apiece". Deadline. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  34. ^ Hipes, Patrick (24 October 2024). "Cinema Eye Honors: 'Girls State', 'Ren Faire' Lead Broadcast Nominees; Audience Choice Award Longlist Revealed". Deadline. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
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