Until her passing in 2023, Darcelle XV was the World’s Oldest Performing Drag Queen. DARCELLE is the story of a single life. But it’s also the story of how tenacity and bravery in the face of unrelenting prejudice, changed lives and opportunities for generations to come.
SYNOPSIS
Born in 1930 and raised in suburban Portland, Walter Cole went to war, married his high school sweetheart, had two children, and then, at age 37, put on a dress and became Darcelle XV. In the 1970s, Walter opened Darcelle XV’s Showplace, now the longest running drag show in America. Until her passing in 2023, Darcelle was the World’s Oldest Performing Drag Queen, working until the day she died at 92 – with her bedazzled walker in hand, and even a rendition of Rhinestone Cowboy, assless chaps and all. DARCELLE is the story of a single life. But it’s also the story of how tenacity and bravery in the face of unrelenting prejudice, changed lives and opportunities for generations to come. In the style of films like Ask Dr. Ruth and RBG, DARCELLE is a biopic that goes beyond the cover story and gives viewers a chance to witness the impact of a living legend. Filmed over the course of the last three years of Walter Cole/Darcelle's life and featuring hundreds of hours of never-before-seen performance footage and home movies from Walter/Darcelle’s life stretching back to the 1970s, DARCELLE is an intimate portrait of an exceptional life, lived with each of us in mind.
ABOUT FILMMAKER(S)
Celia Aniskovich
Celia Aniskovich is a New York based director and producer. Her career began in live broadcast news as an NBC Page before she transitioned into narrative and documentary filmmaking. She has directed, produced, developed and consulted on numerous US & UK projects and her films and series have been broadcast around the world. In April of 2020, How to Fix a Drug Scandal, which Aniskovich co-produced, broke the top 5 most-watched shows on Netflix three days after it premiered. In July of 2020, Fear City: New York vs the Mafia, which Aniskovich field produced, became the #1 most watched show on Netflix 24 hours after it premiered. Celia also produced the successful, Surviving Jeffrey Epstein for Lifetime.
In 2021, Aniskovich released Spy Affair, a 6-part podcast series for Wondery Originals based on the story of alleged Russian spy, Maria Butina. She also wrote, directed, and produced BURN IT DOWN!, a feature documentary about Woodstock 99, for MRC Studios/Rolling Stone that had its world premiere at the 2021 BFI London Film Festival. Her other 2021 premiers include a feature documentary she executive produced and directed for Discovery+, Fruitcake Fraud (Nominated for a Realscreen Award), and a film she produced for HBO Max, Beanie Mania. Her latest film, a feature documentary entitled Call Me Miss Cleo, premiered in December 2022 on HBO Max. Aniskovich has worked on multiple Emmy-nominated programs and is repped by UTA. She graduated from Fordham University in the Bronx & is a life-long Mets fan.
Kathleen Hanna is a punk singer, writer, artist, and the front-woman of the influential bands Bikini Kill and Le Tigre. Her memoir, Rebel Girl, published by Ecco/HarperCollins, was an instant New York Times bestseller. Hanna is a staple in feminist publications, from college curriculums to bestselling books, and a leading voice in the punk feminist movement. She has been named one of the best live performers of our time, earning acclaim from Rolling Stone, The New York Times, NPR, Interview Magazine, V Magazine, Vogue, Entertainment Weekly, BUST Magazine, NYLON and Los Angeles Times, to name a few.
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