Twisted (1996 film)
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| Twisted | |
|---|---|
| File:Twisted Film.jpg | |
| Directed by | Seth Michael Donsky |
| Produced by | Adrian Agromonte (producer) Bernard Arbit, Barry Witz, Mark Weiner (executive producer) |
| Written by | Seth Michael Donsky |
| Music by | Q. Lazzarus |
| Cinematography | Hernan Toro |
| Edited by | Tom McArdle |
| Distributed by | Leisure Time Features |
|
Release dates
|
1997 |
|
Running time
|
100 mins |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $150,000 (estimated) |
Twisted is a film written and directed by Seth Michael Donsky. His debut film, it was released in 1997. The film, a Don Quixote and Miravista Films production, is a retelling of Charles Dickens' classic novel Oliver Twist set in a New York City contemporary underground populated by drag queens, drug abusers and hustlers. The film was an official selection and debuted in 1997 at the 47th Berlin International Film Festival, and was also screened as an official selection at the Seattle International Film Festival. Donsky's film was made prior to Jacob Tierney's similar film Twist, starring American actor Nick Stahl.
Donsky's Twisted was re-discovered by the Museum of Modern Art in 2013, included in their Charles Dickens bicentenary film series http://www.moma.org/visit/calendar/films/1339 and subsequently accepted into their permanent film collection.
Contents
Synopsis
William Hickey stars as Andre, the lecherous brothel owner that trades in young men. Exploiting his young charges through paternalism and drugs, Andre sets his sights on Lee (Keivyn McNeil Graves), a ten-year-old, black, runaway orphan. Through Andre, Lee quickly becomes immersed in New York's sleazy underbelly of drug dealers and street hustlers. The boy's only hope for survival is the aspiring songwriter Angel (David Norona), himself a former hustler and drug dealer. Angel befriends Lee and rescues him from the wiles of Andre's cohort Fine Art (Jean Loup Wolfman), who attempts to profit on Lee's tender age. Eventually, Andre's petty empire is vanquished by Shiniqua (Billy Porter), a powerfully wise and glamorous drag queen whose fiercely maternal spirit is every bit the match for the depraved denizens of the brothel.[1]
Cast
- Keivyn McNeill Graves .... Lee, black runaway orphan
- William Hickey .... Andre, brothel owner
- Anthony Crivello .... Eddie, drug dealer
- David Noroña .... Angel, Eddie's boyfriend
- Billy Porter .... Shiniqua, drag queen and Angel's friend
- Jean Loup Wolfman .... Arthur 'Fine Art', a hustler
- Ray Aranha .... Black Can Man
- Elizabeth Franz .... Mrs. Bundrass, social Worker
- Simon Brook .... Undercover Cop
- Erik Jensen .... Punk
- Brenda Pressley .... Mrs. Burns, Lee's foster mother
- Eugene Byrd .... Willus, Mrs. Burns' son
- Keisha Howard .... Laylene, Willus Burn's girlfriend
- Lynn Tanner ... Celine Holland, a district attorney
- Kelly Coyle ... Arthur's Girlfriend
- Rose Baum Senerchia ... Andre's Mother
- Angelo Berkowitz ... Brothel Boy
- Giovanni Giaconi ... Taxi driver
- Ross Haines ... Arresting Officer
Awards
The film was an official selection at the Berlin International Film Festival and the Seattle International Film Festival. Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) New York screened Twisted and granted the director an honorarium for his work
- The film won the Audience Prize at the 12th Turin Gay and Lesbian Film Festival
- It also won "Best Feature" at the Ottawa Gay and Lesbian Film Festival
