While directing this film, this was at the forefront of my mind: we live in a very uncertain time— the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community are constantly in question, and the rhetoric surrounding our existence is concerning and frightening. These fears and threats have existed for decades, and despite progress, our present America still lacks the adequate and necessary protections for everyone in the LGBTQIA+ community.
How to Spot a Heterosexual explores and reimagines an America where queerness is the standard; where heterosexuality is something to be cast aside and feared as it “infiltrates our schools and churches”. Inspired by the classic, fear-mongering PSAs of the 1950s, this film aims to flip the script on the history of the Lavender Scare— a period of American history where homosexuals were expelled from their government jobs. In doing so, it seeks to cast a satirical lens on our society’s perspective of the stereotyped heterosexual man to illustrate the backwards and stereotypical viewpoint that many of the LGBTQIA+ community are subjected to. The Lavender Scare may be a distant memory in our American history, but continued threats to the LGBTQIA+ community underline the need for films that question societal constructions and stereotypes of sexuality and gender. How to Spot a Heterosexual looks to do just that.
CAST
Kyle dal Santo
Alexa Venereo
Stephen Leacock
Featuring:
Thomas Tran
Matty Barrett
Cooper Linkey
Austin Johnson
Nico Jopio
Joey Egan
Spencer Milligan
CREW
Director: Adamson Novak
Written by: Matthew Blum
Produced by: Hannah Hersh & Karlie Finn
1st AD: Ally Boiadjian
Written by: Matthew Blum
Produced by: Hannah Hersh & Karlie Finn
1st AD: Ally Boiadjian
Director of Photography: Conner Sher
1st Assistant Camera: Kylie Ramirez
2nd Assistant Camera: Anni Newton
Camera Utility: Hannah Smith
Gaffer: Evergreen Winters
Dolly Grip: Jay Faulkner
Grip: Will Bowen
Grip: Isaac Niccum
Production Designer: Alexa Venereo
Art Director: Colette Postaer
Wardrobe: Dawson Garner
HMU: Mikey Foley
Script Supervisor: Grace Ryan
Sound: Hannah Vrbancic
Editor: Matty Barrett
1st Assistant Camera: Kylie Ramirez
2nd Assistant Camera: Anni Newton
Camera Utility: Hannah Smith
Gaffer: Evergreen Winters
Dolly Grip: Jay Faulkner
Grip: Will Bowen
Grip: Isaac Niccum
Production Designer: Alexa Venereo
Art Director: Colette Postaer
Wardrobe: Dawson Garner
HMU: Mikey Foley
Script Supervisor: Grace Ryan
Sound: Hannah Vrbancic
Editor: Matty Barrett
Production Assistant: Cooper Linkey & Emma Grove
BTS Photographer: Lawrence Hu
BTS Photographer: Lawrence Hu
AWARDS
LGBTQ+ Los Angeles Film Festival 2023 - Winner for Best Performances
Panorama Festival 2023 - Winner for Best Performances
Panorama Festival 2023 - Winner for Audience Choice
Flip the Script 2024 Official Selection
NYC Experimental 2024 Official Selection
Panorama Festival 2023 - Winner for Best Performances
Panorama Festival 2023 - Winner for Audience Choice
Flip the Script 2024 Official Selection
NYC Experimental 2024 Official Selection
