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Wicked Queer Docs
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Wicked Queer: Docs
Audience Award Winner
NewFest
New York Centerpiece
Runner-Up Audience Award
About the film
A Deeper Love is an award-winning documentary following nearly a decade in the life of Miss Peppermint, a Black trans artist and activist whose decision to come out publicly as trans marked a turning point for trans representation on stage and screen.
The film traces her rise to fame from New York City nightlife to making history on RuPaul’s Drag Race and Broadway, as she navigates transition, career, love life, and sisterhood, emerging as a powerful voice in the fight for trans representation and justice.
Made over years of rare access and unguarded footage, the documentary reveals Peppermint’s full humanity in all its grit and glamour. It’s a story of survival and resilience, queer joy, chosen family, and the radical power of being truly visible.
From Executive Producers
Elliot Page
Bob The Drag Queen
Oriel Pe’er
Written, Directed & Produced BYMARC SMOLOWITZ
PRODUCERStarringPeppermint
Featuring Laverne Cox
Michaela Jaé Rodriguez Sasha Velour
Sherry Vine
Bob The Drag Queen
Shea Couleé
Vivacious
and many others…
“It’s the power that gives you
the strength to survive”
SYNOPSIS
The film follows Miss Peppermint's raw and intimate journey as she evolves from performing in local bars and clubs in New York City to becoming an international star and making history on RuPaul's Drag Race and Broadway.
Living in the same apartment for 17 years, Peppermint faces a pivotal choice: continue scraping by through nightly performances or turn to survival sex work to fund her transition.
When RuPaul's Drag Race offers another path forward, she seizes the opportunity to transform both her life and trans representation in entertainment.
Through intimate moments with her chosen family, including groundbreaking artists Laverne Cox (Disclosure) and MJ Rodriguez (Pose), Peppermint reveals how trans sisterhood creates spaces of authentic existence and possibility in a world that often misunderstands them.
As she breaks new ground on Broadway and navigates increasing visibility, the film reveals what happens behind the scenes after making history, when a pioneering artist must find ways to sustain both her life and her career.
Who is Peppermint?
A trailblazing performer
activist & trans icon
Rising to international fame as the first out trans woman to compete on RuPaul’s Drag Race, Peppermint broke barriers and opened doors for countless others. With a career spanning Broadway (Head Over Heels), television (Survival of The Thickest on Netflix), music, and advocacy, Peppermint brings heart, authenticity, and a deep commitment to justice to everything she does. Her voice, both as a performer and as an activist, continues to inspire and uplift communities around the world.
Supporting CAST
CHOSEN FAMILY
The COTS is an acronym for “The Council of Trans Sister”, Peppermint’s chosen family, a group of loving and supportive trans friends that includes celebrated stars Laverne Cox and MJ Rodriguez (filmed prior to her breakout role on “Pose”). Peppermint’s chosen family creates a sanctuary during holidays and life events where they can exist authentically, kiki, and celebrate camaraderie - scenes that offer deep moments of reflection, solace, and acceptance.
Sherry Vine
Sherry Vine is Peppermint’s drag sister and longtime friend. Their conversations move easily between laughter and deeply personal subjects - from Peppermint’s medical transition to her relationship with her mother, and the uncertainty of Trump’s election. As a fellow performer, Sherry offers a safe space and an insider’s perspective, showing us the care and friendship that have shaped Peppermint’s journey.
Sasha Velour emerges as both a close friend and the ultimate competitor in season 9 of RuPaul's Drag Race. The film captures their genuine friendship that creates a complex emotional dynamic as they compete against each other for the crown. The footage reveals their bonding over shared views on drag and gender expression, making their lipsync for the crown especially poignant.
Sasha Velour
CAST OF NUBIA
Peppermint joins Bob the Drag Queen, Shea Couleé, BeBe Zahara Benet, The Vixen, and Mo Heart — all Drag Race alumni — for Nubia, an all-Black drag showcase marking a powerful statement of representation. In the film, we see their camaraderie in rehearsal, the joy of building something together, and the pride of owning their vision. That excitement is short-lived as the pandemic sweeps into New York, forcing the tour’s sudden cancellation and turning a moment of triumph into one of uncertainty.
The team
Oriel Pe’er
Writer, director, producerOriel is an award-w director, producer, and visual artist whose work spans documentary, video, photography, and new media. His work has been featured in leading publications, including TIME, The Guardian, Pitchfork, Nowness, Billboard, and The Washington Post.
He became the first multimedia artist for the world-renowned dance company Pilobolus, and documented the troupe for several years. Oriel is the founder of The Llama Studio, a New York-based production company specializing in film and video production and post-production. Since 2016 he has been working non-stop on his debut documentary, A Deeper Love.
MARC SMOLOWITZ
ProducerMarc Smolowitz is a multi-award-winning director, producer,executive producer, and consulting producer who has been significantly involved in over 50 successful independent films.
The combined footprint of his works has touched 250+ film festivals & markets on 5 continents, yielding substantial worldwide sales to theatrical, television, and VOD outlets, notable box office receipts, and numerous awards and nominations. His credits include films that have screened at top-tier festivals such as Sundance, Berlin, Venice,Tribeca, Locarno, SXSW, Chicago, Palm Springs, SF FILM, AFI DOCS, IDFA, DOC NYC, CPH: DOX, Tokyo, Melbourne, Viennale, and the Jerusalem Film Festival, among others.
CURRENT STAGE
Since we started production in 2016, we have filmed over 100 days in New York City, Los Angeles, and Berlin. We have accumulated over 1,683 hours of footage, including archival footage.
The documentary had its world premiere at Frameline49, the largest and longest-running queer film festival in the world. It has since become the Audience Award Winner at Wicked Queer Docs in Boston.
We are a fully independent production with no major studio backing. We are currently seeking finishing funds to cover the costs of festivals, distribution, and community impact.
SUPPORT the film
We have launched the ”Rise in Love” Completion Fund to raise the remaining needed to cover for festivals and distribution costs so we can bring it to audiences everywhere.
Your charitable tax-deductible donation, through our fiscal sponsor, Independent Arts & Media, will directly cover the essential costs that stand between us and the film’s wider release.
Your donation will go towards:
- Festival submissions
- Distribution Costs
- Community Impact
High-tier supporters will receive a film credit joining the community of people who helped make this film possible.
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