Janeane speaks with Director Susan Wolf, and featured burlesque performer
Mx Pucks on KUCI 88.9fm. Miss the show? Click the listen link below for the podcast.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DIRECTOR SUSAN WOLF’S GROUNDBREAKING DOCUMENTARY
“LEARNING TO BE NAKED” WILL MAKE L.A. PREMIERE
AT THE 20th LA FEMME INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, OCT. 24-27, 2024
“Like a caterpillar metamorphosing inside a chrysalis, burlesque provides a safe space for many performers to transform, spread their wings and land on stage feeling more confident, beautiful and free.”
LOS ANGELES, October 5, 2024 --:“LEARNING TO BE NAKED”, a powerful and heartrending documentary of transformation and healing through the art of burlesque will screen Oct. 27 as part of the 20th LA FEMME INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL {LAFIFF} at the Regal Theaters at L.A. Live in downtown Los Angeles, October 24-27.
Produced and directed by Susan Wolf and Machiel Amorison and written by Wolf, the film was edited by Max Vonk, and features burlesque performers Dita Von Teese, Analyn Brook (Eileen Wright), Kia Puckett (Mx. Pucks A’Plenty), Annick Donckers (Loulou La Belle), Anna Paladino (Viola Panik), and Anna Smith Higgs.
“LEARNING TO BE NAKED” seeks to dispel stereotypes about what kinds of bodies deserve to be seen and celebrated. The film follows five extraordinary and unconventional performers as burlesque strips away their shame, gently peels off their insecurities and slowly undresses their pain, including an amputee/breast cancer survivor who proudly performs with her prosthesis and does not hide her scars; and a plus size, black, non-binary performer who is a fierce advocate for BIPOC and LGBTQ artists.
Director Wolf shares “It’s hard to imagine a more vulnerable experience than getting naked on stage–and for some it is precisely this experience that profoundly changes their lives.”
One featured performer, British Anna Smith Higgs, is disabled and a burlesque performer who knows most people do not say those words in the same sentence. Anna suffered a stroke at the age of 24, one month after giving birth to her son. She lost the use of her right arm and much of her vision. Through sheer determination Anna learned to walk again. After her stroke she was deeply depressed but through burlesque she has found “Joy, pure joy. It’s better than any drug,“ says Anna.
“I wanted to change the way people think about the disabled,” she declares. “ I want as many people as possible to see my act because it raises awareness that strokes don't just happen to older people.”
“LEARNING TO BE NAKED” will screen Sun, Oct 27th, at 2:00 PM in Auditorium 12 at the Regal Cinemas at LA Live, 1000 W Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, 90015
Susan Wolf , Eileen Wright and Mx. Pucks A’Plenty are available for interviews. Contact Deborah Gilels at L.A. Media Consultants to arrange a meeting at ddgilels@prodigy.net or 818-648-9513.
For more information, here’s the link to website: https://www.learningtobenaked.com
Link to trailer: TRAILER: LEARNING TO BE NAKED
