‘Laugh Proud’ host Jazzmun (left) and comic Jason Stuart.
Most of the letters in LGBTQiA+ are represented by the nine comics starring in Director Quentin Lee’s stand-up comedy feature film “Laugh Proud,” in release on Friday, May 17, at Laemmle NoHo, and also on VOD May 30. (The May 17 screening will include a Q&A with Lee and some of the comics.)
Actor-comedian Jason Stuart (“Goliath,” “Smothered”) is the veteran performer of the group and, not surprisingly, supplies one of the strongest sets.
The other eight comics represent a rainbow of voices, races, ethnicities and gender identities, delving into the lives and issues of people who are not typically seen at center stage, including Kit DeZolt, Emmy-winner Amanda Alvich, writer Christian Cintron (“Queerty,” Hollywood.com), Washington DC comic Brian (Brucey) Clark, actor-writer Rowan Niles, Seattle-based Cambodian comic Juno Men, artists-comic Asha Hall, and British comic Seven Graham (aka 7G).
7G provides perhaps the most insightful set, talking about what it means to be an intersex person, and Juno Men is a consistently funny, polished comic that we suspect will leave audiences eager for more.
Acting as the show’s hostess is trans drag activist Jazzmun Nichcala Crayton.
Quentin Lee (Photo by Ines Laimins)
“Since creating Comedy InvAsian [originally sold to Hulu] as a TV
series in 2018,” says producer-director Quentin Lee (“Last Summer of Nathan Lee”), “I’ve been experimenting with the stand-up comedy form which has been traditionally dominated by white male comics.
“As a filmmaker, I have been enjoying experimenting and diversifying the stand-up comedy media form. And I thought, what if I create a feature film with a bunch of diverse LGBTQ+ stand-up comics?”
The result is “Laugh Proud.”
Lee, who was born in Hong Kong and raised in Canada, says his next comedy project begins shooting in June, and will feature “all-Indigenous Canadian content” and follow a format similar to “Laugh Proud.”
“Laugh Proud” screens at Laemmle NoHo 7, 5240 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood, at 7 p.m. Friday, May 17, 2024.
The screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Quentin Lee and select comedians from the film. It will be moderated by David Reddish.
Click to watch the trailer.
Featured photo, top left to bottom left, clockwise: 7G, Juno Men, Christian Cintron, Jazzmun, Jason Stuart, Brian “Bruce” Clark, Asha Hall, Rowan Niles, Amanda Alvich, Kit DeZolt
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