Stand Tall Go Higher (Extraordinary Queer Filmmakers Kiki on Life), a feature documentary produced by Orphan Andy Films that highlights a diverse group of queer filmmakers exploring the tenets of queercore filmmaking, has wrapped principal photography. In intimate interviews, filmmakers explore how adverse circumstances including lack of resources and political/cultural hatred for the LGBTQ+ community have always fueled the community’s filmmaking power and resilience.
The documentary features filmmakers Cheri Gaulke, Javier Fuentes-León, Giancarlo Nasi, KC Fralick, Annalea Fiachi, Joey Milberg, Erblin Nushi, Jackson Smith, Jonathan Hammond, Sydne Horton, Iris Dukatt, Liam Calvert, MT Peralta, COAshley Gianni, Saúl Ornelas, and Wendy Wang. It is co-directed by Daniel Talbott and Andrew Klaus-Vineyard, produced by Erin Bednarz and Felix Mack, and edited by Noah Larsen.
The idea to make Stand Tall Go Higher was dreamt up by filmmaker and co-director Daniel Talbott. “I knew that a big ass raging queer filmmaker BBQ in a friend’s backyard in North Hollywood would be the perfect venue to start shooting a feature doc about queercore filmmaking”, Talbott shares with The Queer Review. “The film is battling all this current political bullshit with queer joy.” The bulk of Stand Tall Go Higher was shot in one day, with contributions from additional filmmakers made subsequently.
Queercore filmmaking is a cultural and social movement that began in the mid-1980s as an offshoot of punk subculture. It is distinguished by its discontent with society in general, and specifically society’s disapproval of the LGBTQ+ community. Talbott describes Stand Tall Go Higher as “a joyful, inspired reminder that queer filmmakers have always had to make films no matter what, and have long done it with humor, imagination, style, and with a no-excuse determination.” The film is slated for a fall 2026 release.
Watch the trailer for Stand Tall Go Higher below:
Leave a Reply