Vera Drew Received Transgender Film Center Fund Award To Produce 'Trandemic'

TV & Film

Jul 13

Vera Drew in a photoshoot for Broken Pencil Magazine Image Source: KCRW — Image Source: KCRW

One of the film industry’s newest filmmaking voices is returning a lot sooner than expected! Deadline is reporting that Vera Drew’s sophomore directorial effort is the first recipient of the Transgender Film Center Found Footage Feature Fund award.

After a lengthy application process, filmmakers’ proposed projects were evaluated by the Transgender Film Center and partner representatives, with finalists then presented to Duplass Brothers Productions (one of the original supporters of the fund), who then chose the winning project. The film, titled Transmedic, has been described as a “cosmic found footage horror-comedy.” Chroma has offered to be the film’s distributor. Vera Drew will receive a $25,000 cash grant to help make Transmedic. The award package includes advisory support from Duplass Brothers Productions, mentorship from one of its founders, Mark Duplass, who will also review the final draft of the script.

An emerging talent in the film world, Vera Drew is best known for directing, co-writing (with Bri LeRose), editing, and starring in the superhero parody film, The People’s Joker. A comedic take on Todd Phillips’ 2019 Oscar-winning film Joker, Drew turned the story into a comic-of-age tale of a trans woman who wants to join the cast of a sketch comedy show. The film premiered at TIFF in 2022, but due to rights issues, the film didn’t see the full light of day until 2024. Since its release, The People’s Joker has garnered critical acclaim for Drew’s direction and screenplay, frequently being hailed as a landmark in trans representation and as one of the greatest superhero films ever ever made. Prior to The People’s Joker, Drew primarily worked as an editor for television shows and earned a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Picture Editing for Variety Programming for Who Is America?. Drew also received mass awards attention for The People’s Joker, most notably a Gotham Awards win for Best Breakthrough Director. Other notable recipients of the award include Darren Aronofsky (Pi), Bennett Miller (Capote), Dee Rees (Pariah), Ana Lily Amirpour (A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night), Bo Burnham (Eighth Grade), Maggie Gyllenhaal (The Lost Daughter), Charlotte Wells (Aftersun), and future Oscar winners Jordan Peele (Get Out) and blockbuster legend Ryan Coogler (Fruitvale Station).