Drag queen host film festival
Published Oct. 12, 2007
After a scheduling conflict stopped drag performer and filmmaker Peaches Christ from coming to MU in the spring, she arrived Thursday to present a trilogy of her short horror films.
Christ presented her short films to more than 100 people Thursday night in Allen Auditorium for MU's celebration of National Coming Out Day.
The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Resource Center originally wanted Peaches Christ to emcee the April Professional Drag Show, but she was unable to attend because of her prior obligation to host Midnight Mass, a popular midnight festival of horror movies she created 10 years ago.
LGBT Resource Center Coordinator John Faughn said Multicultural Center Director Pablo Mendoza suggested trying to bring her to MU for National Coming Out Day.
Peaches Christ said she was surprised to hear from the LGBT Resource Center at first.
"This is my first time flying to do a university gig," Christ said. "When they contacted me, I was like 'Are you sure?'"
Despite the initial reaction, Christ said she was excited to come to Missouri for the first time after presenting her material in front of "more sophisticated crowds" in New York and Europe.
"Coming to Missouri was a thrill because I could bring something without feeling pressure," Christ said. "This is a younger, fun crowd."
Before becoming well known as a drag queen, Christ was known as Joshua Grannell, a film student at Pennsylvania State University.
The character Peaches Christ was created during a film project for a class at Penn State, and she is now a popular performer in the drag scene in San Francisco.
"I always thought I would have a nine-to-five with my college degree," Christ said to the audience during the festival.
The three films Christ showed during the film festival were "Season of the Troll," "A Nightmare on Castro Street" and "Whatever Happened to Peaches Christ?" All three films are spoofs of horror movies, which combined her love of horror movies and shows like "Saturday Night Live" and "Mad TV."
"What drag culture does really well is take something you like a lot and put your own spin on it," Christ said.
The three movies were done with budgets ranging from $20 for the first movie to $500 for the third movie.
The crowd laughed throughout the films and applauded the performance at the end of the show.
Junior Josh Ragon said he heard about the show from his girlfriend, a member of the progressive social sorority Gamma Rho Lambda.
"I laughed, I chuckled, I cried," Ragon said. "It was a good time."
Faughn said he didn't just want to see people from LGBT Resource Center at the film festival, but he also wanted to see the heterosexual community come to the film festival.
"I'm hoping for a large portion of the MU population," Faughn said before the show. "Although she is a drag performer, this is something new for people to see."
Kevin Bryant, a chairman for the event committee, said he is really thankful for the university's support.
"Money from the university goes to the (LGBT Resource) center," Bryant said. "Without the university, having Peaches Christ would not be possible."