Lloyd Kaufman

Vegas in Space 25th Anniversary Event (Cast & Crew IN PERSON) at Frameline Film Festival, Presented by Peaches Christ Productions & Troma Entertainment

Gender-bending astronauts, an evil Empress, and an adventure that will take you to the farthest, most fabulous reaches of the galaxy.

It can only be Vegas in Space!

Peaches Christ Productions, in association with the Frameline Film Festival and Troma Entertainment are proud to announce a special event screening of the seminal cult classic Vegas in Space in celebration of the film’s 25th anniversary. A fully-fledged celebration of the movie that took us to the stars, the screening will feature an accompanying pre-show hosted by Peaches and featuring Vegas in Space cast & crew live and in person, including director Phillip R. Ford, Miss X, Ginger Quest, Ramona Fischer, Lori Naslund, Timmy Spence, Kate Guthorn, Silvana Nova, and Connie Champagne!

About the Movie

An international cult classic and significant slice of San Francisco drag history, Vegas in Space is a rollicking musical space odyssey like no other. Directed by Phillip R. Ford and starring drag icons Doris Fish, Miss X, and Tippi, the film tells the tale of a trio of astronauts who must change their sex to infiltrate a planet of women and save the universe from the clutches of an evil galactic tyrant.
Shot over the course of eight years and starring a cast comprised primarily of drag performers, the film became a midnight movie darling, playing Sundance, Cannes, and earning a coveted spot on USA Up All Night.
An essential slice of drag culture and cinema, Vegas in Space paved the way for a generation of films and queens to follow.

About the Event

Outspoken champions for the film’s place in the cult canon, Peaches Christ (All About Evil) and event co-producer Michael Varrati (Tales of Poe, Flesh for the Inferno) saw the opportunity to give Vegas in Space a once in a lifetime veneration for its 25th anniversary. Peaches had previously hosted a 15th anniversary event screening of the film for her popular Midnight Mass series in 2006, while Varrati wrote a celebrated article, “The Strange Case of Vegas in Space”, for the film’s 20th. Following suit, the pair decided it was only logical to join forces to honor the film’s 25th.

In addition to a screening of the film, the evening will include an original live pre-show scripted and performed by Peaches Christ and a troupe of San Francisco’s most notable contemporary queens. The evening will also include an array of live musical performances from the original cast members of Vegas in Space, as well as an audience Q&A. Additionally, the evening will be topped off by a video tribute to the film from Lloyd Kaufman, President of Troma Entertainment and distributor of Vegas in Space.

From Phillip R. Ford:

“Vegas in Space is an art film, cleverly disguised as trash.”

“Choosing not to compete with the overblown science fiction films of its day, Vegas in Space looks elsewhere for its inspiration. It harkens back to a more innocent age to the decade before men actullay went into space. I have always had a great love for early cinema which shaped my vision for this film. I realized I really didn’t want to utilize any film effect designed after 1902 when Georges Méliès presented his A Trip to the Moon.”

“Vegas in Space is a singular film, in its content and its backstory. Although the principal photography took about a year and a half, in all it took us eight years to complete, because of the challenges we had raising the funds we need but also because it is truly a handmade film. Made mostly by the hand of Doris Fish, who was executive producer, art director, star, screenwriter, make-up artist and wig designer. My job was to realize on film Doris and Miss X and Tippi’s vision of a drag planet.”

“Of course I am thrilled that the film is being revived by Peaches Christ and Frameline. I think it was influential in a very personal way to some young people in the 80s. I have heard from so many people, some of them now noteworthy artists, who saw the film broadcast on USA Network’s Up Night with Rhonda Shear. They’ve told me the film inspired them to pursue their artistic instincts or to come to San Francisco or what have you. I ended up working with some of them later.”

“The cultural attitudes in San Francisco about drag were so very different in the early 80s than they are now. When we shot the film, drag was out of fashion in the gay community – it was not the image they were trying to present when they were fighting for “Gays in the Military”. But when the film came out in 1992 drag had simultaneously exploded as a cultural phenomenon. We went to Sundance with the film in 1992, which was declared the “year of the queer” in Park City. Many noteworthy Queer filmmaker were there that year, but I must confess I never felt a Vegas in Space was particularly welcomed into that scene. The film was pretty vulgar and lowbrow for their somewhat refined aspirations, I think.”

“At that time Doris we were making the film, was making a good living in her male persona as a call boy; on more than one occasion we’d be having a production meeting in the kitchen at her flat, the doorbell would ring, Doris would disappear for twenty minutes and return with a check for me to put into the production account. It was only later Doris was to quip, “No one ever told me you couldn’t make a feature film on a prostitute’s salary.”

“I had grown up reading Mad Magazine and Famous Monsters of Filmland and watching horror movies. In preparation for Vegas in Space we watched endless Grade-Z ‘50s sci-fi movies like Destination Moon and Queen of Outer Space. These films and a deep commitment to the ‘60s Batman TV series were my primary influences as a director then along with a large dose of Barbarlla thrown in, of course.”

“We set out to make a fabulous and stupid movie and we succeeded.”

From Peaches Christ:

“Vegas In Space was so incredibly ahead of its time! The drag itself still seems contemporary and edgy with all that technicolor alien glamour makeup and wild fashion. I’m thrilled we are going to celebrate its 25th Anniversary and it’s my hope that Vegas In Space continues to attract new generations of drag enthusiasts and cult movie aficionados. The outrageous San Francisco talent that Phillip R. Ford inspired to help realize his directorial vision including the performances of Doris Fish, Miss X, Tippi, and Ginger Quest deserve to be worshipped. This is San Francisco drag history and we plan to celebrate all of its camp perfection!”

From Michael Varrati:

“Vegas in Space, to me, is a towering masterpiece in the cult and LGBT cinematic canons. It’s a loving homage to a bygone-era of drive-in cinema, and yet is also a wholly unique, camp tour de force. I can’t imagine another film that’s riper for rediscovery or embracement from the midnight movie crow. It’s a candy-colored kaleidoscope of awesomeness, and it just makes me so very happy. Furthermore, I think it’s about time the legendary Doris Fish got her due from the community at large. Her contributions to pop culture, to me, are just as significant as queens like Divine and RuPaul. She helped pave the way for a whole new generation. That’s what this celebration is all about.”

MORE INFORMATION:
When: June 17th, 2016
Where: The Victoria Theater, San Francisco, CA
www.frameline.org
www.peacheschrist.com
www.troma.com

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