Director in attendance

Liza Minnelli impersonators, these queens are not! Portland’s shock-drag troupe, Sissyboy, have been called “gender terrorists” and the “kind of drag queens your mother warned you about.” Undoubtedly, they are one hot mess of boundary-pushing bare buttocks and bared souls. These 12 artists have a knack for holding an analytical and often off-coloured mirror up to the world to expose society’s flaws. In the same turn, each performer takes a good look in that mirror to confront the very real challenges—from addiction to racism—that inspire their unique, cathartic brand of drag. Troupe founder Benjamin Porter describes Sissyboy’s creative process: “We get on stage to be the monsters that haunted us as we were growing up and the ones that still haunt us today.”

Armed with a camera and a healthy sense of humour, debut filmmaker Katie Turinski documents Sissyboy’s loudest and last hurrah – their West Coast tour.

Canadian filmmaker Chris Dupuis’ raw look at drag performance.