Yony Leyser Explained

Yony Leyser (born 1985) is a director and writer based in Berlin.

Biography

Early life and education

Yony Leyser was born in DeKalb, Illinois in 1985 to an Israeli-Iranian mother and a German Jewish father.[1]

Leyser studied at the California Institute of the Arts and at the University of Kansas before graduating with a B.A from The New School in New York City, where he majored in film and journalism, and an MFA from the Academy of Media Arts Cologne.[2]

In 2010, Leyser relocated to Berlin.

Career

After five years in the making, Leyser independently released his first feature film, , a documentary film covering William S. Burroughs in 2010. The film features archival footage, some of which was previously unreleased, as well as interviews with Burrough's friends and colleagues. The film received was received positively, with a 88% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.[3] The film was a Critic's Pick of The New York Times[4] and received positive reviews from the Los Angeles Times,[5] and Variety,.[6] It was an official selection at multiple international film festivals including the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam and Vienna International Film Festival.

In 2015, Leyser released his second feature film, Desire Will Set You Free. Rooted in the director's actual experiences, the film follows an American writer of Palestinian and Israeli descent and a Russian escort as they navigate the Berlin's underground queer scene.[7] [8] The film was the centerpiece of that year's San Francisco Independent Film Festival.[9]

In 2017, Leyser released , a feature length documentary about the cultural/social movement known as queercore. The film focuses on queercore zine culture, music, cinema, and activism. It debuted at Sheffield DocFest[10] and was acquired by French network Arte and by Germany's ZDF.[11] Leyser also co-wrote a book of the same name, released by PM Press in 2021.[12]

In 2022, Drag Me to the USA was released. The docuseries directed by Leyser follows three German drag queens as they embark on road trip from New Orleans to Los Angeles. It was commissioned and released by RTL+.[13]

In addition to his feature films, Leyser has written and directed a number of theater productions including W(a)rm Holes, which was shown at Maxim Gorki Theater in Berlin.[14]

Leyser has also contributed to publications including Vice.[15]

Filmography

!Year!Title!!Notes
2010[16] -
2015Desire Will Set You Free[17] -
2017[18] -
2022Drag Me to the USA[19] Docuseries

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Yony Leyser filmportal.de . 2022-11-14 . www.filmportal.de.
  2. Web site: The man behind 'A Man Within' . 2022-11-14 . LJWorld.com . en-US.
  3. Web site: William S. Burroughs: A Man Within . 2022-02-22 . . Fandango Media.
  4. News: Holden . Stephen . 2010-11-16 . 'William S. Burroughs: A Man Within' - Review . .
  5. News: Sheri Linden . 2010-11-25 . Movie review: 'William S. Burroughs: A Man Within' - Los Angeles Times . . live . 2022-02-12 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160306090543/http://articles.latimes.com/2010/nov/25/entertainment/la-et-burroughs-20101125-17 . 2016-03-06.
  6. Web site: 28 January 2010 . William S. Burroughs: A Man Within . https://archive.today/20130205111820/http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117942009?refcatid=3883 . 5 February 2013 . 22 February 2022 . www.variety.com.
  7. Web site: Tramontana . Mary Katharine . this decadent film looks at berlin nightlife, with a soundtrack featuring blood orange and peaches . 2022-11-16 . i-d.vice.com . en.
  8. Web site: Dazed . 2016-03-03 . Looking through the lens at Berlin's underground queer scene . 2022-11-16 . Dazed . en.
  9. Web site: Lewis . David . 2017-01-25 . Facts about SF IndieFest . 2022-11-16 . San Francisco Chronicle . en-US.
  10. Web site: "Queercore": A decades-old movement for gay punks, freaks and rebels . 2022-11-16 . NBC News . en.
  11. Web site: Queercore – Die schwule Seite des Punk . 2022-11-16 . www.zdf.de . de.
  12. Adams . Kevin . 2022 . Queercore: How to Punk a Revolution: An Oral History. Liam Warfield, Walter Crasshole, and Yony Leyser, eds. Oakland, CA: PM Press, 2021. 224p. Paper, $18.00 (ISBN 9781629637969). . College & Research Libraries . 83 . 2 . 10.5860/crl.83.2.337 . 2150-6701. free .
  13. Web site: GmbH . DWDL de . Roadtrip: RTL+ schickt drei Drag Queens durch Amerika . 2022-11-17 . DWDL.de . en.
  14. Web site: W(A)RM Holes . 2022-11-16 . W(A)RM Holes Gorki . en.
  15. Web site: Yony Leyser . 2022-11-16 . www.vice.com . en.
  16. Web site: Holden . Stephen . November 16, 2010 . Naked Lusts and Natural Painkillers: Portrait of a Literary Outlaw . https://web.archive.org/web/20210126021043/https://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/17/movies/17will.html . January 26, 2021 . The New York Times.
  17. Web site: Yony Leyser's New Film Is a Time Capsule of Berlin's Underground . 2022-11-14 . www.vice.com . da.
  18. Web site: "Queercore": A decades-old movement for gay punks, freaks and rebels . 2022-11-14 . NBC News . en.
  19. Web site: GmbH . DWDL de . Roadtrip: RTL+ schickt drei Drag Queens durch Amerika . 2022-11-16 . DWDL.de . en.

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