Last year, The Advocatespoke with nonbinary intersex filmmaker River Gallo about his film project Ponyboi -- a short film that has since made its rounds through the film festival circuit to critical acclaim. The story centers on a young intersex man who falls in love and is meanwhile struggling to find a way out of his difficult life as a sex worker, doing business out of a local laundromat.
Written by and starring Gallo, directed by Caribbean-American filmmaker Sade Clacken Joseph, and executive-produced by the British acting powerhouse duo of Stephen Fry and Emma Thompson, the short premiered at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival and has since received much praise from audiences and critics alike. Forbes recently named Ponyboi one of five "not to be missed short films" of the year, and a feature-length version is currently in development.
In the groundbreaking film, Gallo gives an amazing performance. He credits Fry and Thompson for backing the project, saying it may not have gotten made without their support.
"This isn't just a queer cause for the queer community," Gallo said. "This is a human cause, and this should be a mainstream conversation that we all should be having."
Now the captivating film is available for streaming on Omeleto.com and YouTube. Check out the complete interview with Gallo, director Joseph, and The Advocate's Allison Tate below.
Video intern Lumiere Rostick also contributed to this article.
