Native American Heritage Month 2025

After What Happened at the Library (Short)

Directed by Kyle Chu and Syra McCarthy

2025 00:15

Scripted Short Film Festivals

Inspired by my viral true story. In the wake of a terrifying encounter, an overwhelmed drag queen struggles under the weight of public attention.

ABOUT
BIO
SCREENINGS
AWARDS
PRESS
CREDITS
GALLERY

Genre

Drama

Synopsis

Inspired by my viral true story.

Akita the drag queen hasn't left her apartment in days. Her inboxes overflow with messages of praise, concern, and... death threats?

She lets in a film crew and recounts to a reporter about how Nazis stormed her Drag Story Hour in June 2022.

Akita recounts that day. When she retreated to the library's restroom. When the police arrived and Akita could hear them laughing... with the Nazis.

After the interview, Akita breaks down. We conclude with one final flashback: After the Nazis leave, Akita returns to complete the Drag Story Hour reading for the children and families.

Director Identity

Asian American Of Asian Descent Pacific Islander Of Indigenous Descent Two Spirit Disabilities she/her

Bio

Kyle Casey Chu (AKA Panda Dulce) is a Filmmaker, Author and a founding queen of Drag Story Hour. She is currently a 2024-2025 FilmHouse Resident at SFFILM.

In 2022, far-right extremists stormed her reading in San Lorenzo, making global headlines. Based on the incident, her short screenplay, "After What Happened at the Library" won WeScreenplay, Titan Awards and SF Indie's Short Screenplay Competitions. With support from Sundance, SFFILM, Talon Entertainment, the SF Arts Commission and Skywalker Sound, the screenplay was produced and will premiere at Florida Film Festival and SF International Film Festival in April 2025.

This short is a proof-of-concept for her debut narrative feature film. The script is in an advanced draft and was workshopped at Sundance’s Trans Possibilities Intensive, Lambda Literary’s Writers Retreat and Film Fatales.

Kyle's debut novel, "The Queen Bees of Tybee County" (HarperCollins, 2025), was recently optioned by Lambur Productions into a UK TV show.

Screening History

World Premiere - Florida Film Festival 2025

West Coast Premiere - SFFILM 2025

CAAMfest 2025

Provincetown Film Festival 2025

Palm Springs Shortfest 2025

Awards History

Florida Film Festival, Special Jury Award 2025

Kenneth Rainin Foundation - Rainin Arts Fellowship, Film 2025

San Francisco Arts Commission, Arts Impact Endowment Grant, 2024

Sundance, Production Grant, 2023

SFFILM, Production Grant, 2024

Press

""Sometimes the very best things arrive in small form. Such is the case with this 15-minute fictionalized short inspired by the traumatic aftermath of a real event … one of the most affecting and effective films in the (SFFILM) lineup.""

East Bay Times

"“A darkly funny fictionalized form. … The short explicates what victims go through when the media circus comes to town.”"

Mission Local

""The film is as much about helplessly staring at a phone that’s blowing up as it is about processing trauma.”"

SF Standard

""Empowering.""

Bitch Talk

""A compelling film that stems from a real-life experience ... Well-performed and edited, this is a powerful short about why drag matters and the emotional impact of homophobia.""

San Francisco Bay Times

Credits

Director - Syra McCarthy

Co-Writer, Lead Actor - Kyle Casey Chu

Co-Writer - Roísín Isner

Producers - Vee Godinez, Hillary Irene Pierce

Editor, Post Producer - Ashley Rodholm

Gallery

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