Rosa von Praunheim Filmproduktion

Germany 2002, 90 min
by Rosa von Praunheim

Ichgola Androgyn, BeV StroganoV, Tima the Divine and Ovo Maltine are four headstrong drag queens who met in West Berlin in the mid-eighties and have been busy fertilising the cultural scene in both Germany and the rest of the world ever since. Director Rosa von Praunheim has been fortunate enough to work with each of them repeatedly in various films. They all share the fact that they are not mere performers but are also politically active – in AIDS awareness, events against anti-gay violence, the prostitutes’ movement, the struggle against the extreme Right and racism. At one time, they even lived together as a chosen family on a houseboat in Berlin, where they would often put their heads together over their shows, political activities and media appearances. They first performed at Berlin’s gay centre “SchwuZ” and went on to appear all over Berlin and Germany. Three of them are HIV positive which means they are engaged in a constant personal battle for survival. A portrait of four wilful, courageous queens that captures an important part of Berlin’s cultural scene. Their personal histories are as colourful as a sequin-studded gown, held together by the fabric of their lives as queens. They have meticulously collected endless numbers of photographs, television clips, posters and newspaper articles. The four spend their lives working, loving and fighting together; believing in themselves as one family, till death them do part. – Rosa von Praunheim, 2002 Source of Synopsis