Jt leroy was a supposed homeless queer youth who rose to notoriety after the publication of her autobiographical works sarah and the heart. Diane kruger has joined the cast of justin kellys jt leroy, the feature film based on the true story of a pair of woman who created the persona of a boywonder author, fooling the. Jt leroy was a teen prostitute, addicted to heroin and infected with hiv, when a therapist encouraged him to write his life story. The official facebook site to learn about the documentary the cult of jt leroy along with ideas tangential to the topic. Diane kruger joins cast of jt leroy movie cannes deadline. Weaving neverbeforeseen documentary footage shot during the height of jt leroy s fame with interviews with some of leroy alperts friends and critics, director marjorie sturm delves deep into one of the greatest cultural cons of the 21st century. Fabrication of identity is one of our cultures favourite pastimes, fueled by the cult of celebrity and, in. Directed by justin kelly, who wrote the script with knoop, it focuses on savannahs role in. Leroy might not be a real person, but alberts ability to conjure his voice and lifes story onto the page is a feat of extraordinary brilliance, destined to be admired. Jt leroy was a teenage prostitute, heroin addict and hivpositive when a therapist encouraged him to write down the story of his life. The extraordinary stories that brought the author a cult following at the age of. Sarah, the heart is deceitful above all things, and harolds end.
The cult of jt leroy not rated 1h 32min documentary, biography, crime 14 november 2014 usa jt leroy was a teen prostitute, addicted to heroin and infected with hiv, when a therapist encouraged him to write his life stories. Leroy was presented as the author of three books of fiction, which were purportedly semiautobiographical accounts by a teenage boy of his experiences of. An earlier version of this article misidentified savannah knoop as laura alberts niece. Each of the novels deals with darker themes like abuse, abandonment, and addiction. Having begun filming the subject in 2002, and with a background in social work. The cult of jt leroy is astutely framed as a stillevolving mystery, with sturm letting its participants the most notable nonparticipants being albert and savannah knoop, as well as. Jt leroy was a teen prostitute, addicted to heroin and infected with hiv, when a therapist encouraged him to write his life stories. Watch the cult of jt leroy now on your favorite device. Jt leroy is a writer from the late90searly2000s who published a few novels. The elaborate hoax of writer jt leroy, a fictional identity that both captured attention and perplexed global media, is examined in this documentary. A feature documentary about the writer jt leroy ethically charged, controversial, and confusing, jt s life and death sprang open a pandoras box of powerful questions about literature and culture, identity and celebrity, and the reality of. Release dates 6 also known as aka 2 release dates usa 14 november 2014 doc nyc usa march 2015 san francisco, california usa april 2015 florida film festival canada 25 april 2015. A feature documentary about the writer jt leroy ethically charged, controversial, and confusing, jts life and death sprang open a pandoras box of powerful questions about literature and culture, identity and celebrity, and the reality of the society we live in.
Sturms the cult of jt leroy offers a sober yet somewhat punchdrunk reminder of what it felt like when the local literary wunderkind with a disturbingly tragic past was shown to possess an even. A literary hoax that picked up extraordinary steam before imploding is charted in the cult of jt leroy. Buoyed by a cadre of celebrities, he published three critically acclaimed books. His debut, sarah, became a critically acclaimed success, also thanks to help from a lot of celebrities. Sf indiefest presents the bay area debut of the cult of jt leroy at the roxie theater, screening from feb. Mar 07, 2015 the cult of jt leroy is astutely framed as a stillevolving mystery, with sturm letting its participants the most notable nonparticipants being albert and savannah knoop, as well as. In 2002, marjorie sturm began work on a film documenting the life of praised alternative author jt leroy. Identifying himself as genderfluid, jt had earlier reached out to his favourite writers via fax. Its an interesting day at hot docs when both films you see focus on hoaxes the other, the amina profile. She has also used the names emily frasier and speedie, and published other works as.
January 28th, 2017 cult is screening at the pageant theater in chico at 3. Leroy burst onto the literary scene in the early 2000s with sarah and the heart is deceitful above all things. Albert published three books of fiction under the jt leroy pseudonym sarah. Cult following unmasked in jt leroy documentary the daily.
San francisco filmmaker marjorie sturm started filming leroy in 2002, when he was the darling of the bay area literary scene. Mar 07, 2015 a literary hoax that picked up extraordinary steam before imploding is charted in the cult of jt leroy. Eclectic outtakes from the cult of jt leroy youtube. Filmmaker marjorie sturm, director of the cult of jt leroy stands next to the tenderloin office she worked as a social worker in san francisco, calif. Mar 06, 2015 filmmaker marjorie sturm, director of the cult of jt leroy stands next to the tenderloin office she worked as a social worker in san francisco, calif. Leroy was presented as the author of three books of fiction, which were purportedly semiautobiographical accounts by a teenage boy of his experiences of poverty, drug use, and emotional and sexual abuse in his childhood and adolescence from rural west virginia to california. The cult of jt leroy starts out by following a young homeless kid who had suffered a tremendous amount of abuse, and ends up addicted to heroin while prostituting on the streets of san francisco. Even if you wanted to write a cautionary tale about the present ages toxic sanctification of victimhood and celebrity, the rise and fall of jt leroy would seem too outlandish and audacious to be true. Dozens of books and documentaries on the subject have been created over the years most notably the cult of jt leroy and the more wellknown author.
The cult of jt leroy also made the best of 2014 list at film international and. The film returns for a regular run at the roxie march 18. Her film explores the fact and fiction surrounding the rise and fall of jt leroy, those caught in the elaborate web of artifice and the ultimate real world consequences. Jt leroy was a teen prostitute, addicted to heroin and infected with hiv, when a. While it was never personal for me, it was for others, and their cumulative hurt is exactingly documented in cult. He wrote three books, and the heart is deceitful above all things was adapted to the screen by asia. Were sorry but jwapp doesnt work properly without javascript enabled. Laura victoria albert born november 2, 1965 is an american author of writings that include. His psychologist, who he called into regularly, encouraged him to start writing his stories down, and soon, the world took notice. None, that is, beyond leroys adopted family of local couple laura albert and musician geoffrey knoop, who happily exploited the fame wave. The cult of jt leroy 2014 directed by marjorie sturm. The jt leroy story takes us down the infinitely fascinating.
According to this account, which was backed up by further reporting in the new york times, albert was the real speedy, with a fake brit accent. The jt leroy story does a remarkable job of casting a sympathetic lens towards the work of albert and leroy as the fruits of an unrivaled literary masterpiece. Sure, few attempt to separate themselves from reality, but ultimately, only some succeed in the pursuit thereof. It stars kristen stewart, laura dern, kelvin harrison jr. In 2005, new york magazine charged that jt leroy was not a real person but the creation of laura albert, a new yorkborn writer in her 40s. Authorized and unauthorized, the cult of jt leroy won two jury awards, and was nominated four other times, for best feature documentary in 2015. For that, youve got to watch the cult of jt leroy, the much quieter jt documentary without backing from bigwigs like authors magnolia films and vice from two years earlier that, according to its director marjorie sturm, albert tried to prevent the release of with imminent legal threat.
Buoyed by a cadre of celebrities, he published three critically. The story of jt leroy, so, naturally, jeremiah terminator leroy, hollywoods version of the story with brandname actors in tow, is finally here. The jt leroy story, a new documentary by jeff feuerzeig the devil and daniel johnston, is a curious attempt to redeem, at least partly, the reputation of a notorious hoax. Laura victoria albert born november 2, 1965 is an american author of writings that include works credited to the literary persona jt leroy, whom albert described as an avatar, saying she was able to write things as leroy that she could not have said as laura albert. January 10, 2016 alabama premiere in birmingham at the sidewalk series. The cult of jt leroy is a doc thats gained momentum playing the likes of doc nyc, hot docs, outfest, qdoc and won the jury prize for best documentary at the sf indie fest is an. Aug 10, 2015 the cult of jt leroy is a doc thats gained momentum playing the likes of doc nyc, hot docs, outfest, qdoc and won the jury prize for best documentary at the sf indie fest is an. A bizarre tale of a literary celebrity the cult of jt leroy, which follows a mysterious literary figure who captured the imagination of many a celebrity, is a. If you know the truth about jt leroy who came out of nowhere in 1999 with the gritty, apparently confessional novels sarah and the heart is deceitful above all things then youll be a few. The jt leroy story, a documentary, offers a complex and deeply fascinating account of a decidedly unusual chapter in recent american cultural history. The novels charged tales of vicious child abuse inflicted on young queer kids earned the mysterious author comparisons to william. The cult of jt leroy, directed by marjorie sturm, examines what ends up being a incredible literary hoax in an eyeopening documentary that exposes much more than the title characters. A book deal was in place a year later and in 2000 the novel sarah was published. Astor was her longtime boyfriend, musician geoff knoop.
Jt leroy is a 2018 britishamericancanadian biographical drama film directed by justin kelly based on the memoir girl boy girl. Sep 08, 2016 author is not the first film to take on this strange story. The jt leroy story will hit theaters on september 9. Watching the cult of jt leroy made me much less forgiving. With asia argento, beth bachtold, stephen beachy, bruce benderson. In fictional storytelling, truth is something to strive for. Jeremiah terminator leroy, or simply jt leroy is a literary persona created in the 1990s by american writer laura albert. Aug 26, 2015 overall, the cult of jt leroy is a strong effort from marjorie sturm that does well to overcome its financial constraints in its tale of widespread literary deceit. Dennis cooper, george miles, and jt leroy outtake from the cult of jt. Watch the cult of jt leroy 2014 full movie free online. Marjorie sturm talks the cult of jt leroy indiewire. Sep 24, 20 the cult of jt leroy also made the best of 2014 list at film international and the best of 2015 at keyframe. The jt leroy story, a documentary from jeff feuerzeig, is as truthful as it gets.
It will be great to see what sturm has to offer on a higher budget, she has clearly demonstrated a strong aptitude to weave fascinating narratives. Courtney love, who once mixed in jt leroy s circle, appears briefly in an inconsequential role, but theres nothing in any way incisive here about the cult of celebrity. Leroy struck up a close friendship with novelist dennis cooper and by the age of 16 he had poems and short stories published in nerve, new york press and others. The affair has already been tackled dispassionately in the cult of jt leroy, and will likely become a docudrama movie, probably made by james franco. Its subject was purportedly an hivpositive teenage male prostitute in san francisco who became a minor literary celebrity about 15 years ago. Leroy whose first novel generated a cult following last year and whose second book comes out this weekis the perfect. Laura dern in talks to join justin kellys biopic jt leroy. Leroy is a tougher, better movie than author and generally comes off as more honest. Cult following unmasked in jt leroy documentary the. From the director of the devil and daniel johnston, author. Laura dern is in talks to costar in director justin kellys biopic jt leroy, the true story behind writer laura alberts madeup literary persona jt leroy. This is a feature documentary about the writer jt leroyethically charged, controversial, and confusing, jts life and death sprang open a pandoras box of. Aug 01, 2016 the cult of jt leroy holds up a cracked mirror, probing into the complex cultural, psychological, and sociallyreinforced motivations for pulling off, and buying into, such a scam. What made things resonate more strongly for readers is that jt leroy is a.
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