A law-breaking comedian who is grappling with her gender identity forms a new anti-comedy troupe with a friend and finds herself battling a fascistic caped crusader.
This revolutionary DIY parody film and hilarious reimagining of the classic autobiographical coming-of-age story follows an unconfident, closeted trans girl as she moves to Gotham City to make it big as a comedian by joining the cast of UCB Live – a government-sanctioned late night sketch show in a world where comedy has been outlawed. As mainstream success eludes our heroine, leading her to unite with a ragtag team of rejects, misfits, and a certain love interest named Mister J, “Joker the Harlequin” is born again as a confident (and psychotic) joker on a collision course with the city’s fascist caped crusader. Vats of feminizing chemicals, sexy cartoon interludes, scarecrow psychiatrists, CGI Lorne Michaels, and psychedelic gender dysphoria all play supporting roles. Helmed by writer/director/editor/star Vera Drew and using her own life experiences as a basis for the film, THE PEOPLE’S JOKER is a deeply personal journey that’s as much documentary as it is parody.This revolutionary DIY parody film and hilarious reimagining of the classic autobiographical coming-of-age story follows an unconfident, closeted trans girl as she moves to Gotham City to make it big as a comedian by joining the cast of UCB Live – a government-sanctioned late night sketch show in a world where comedy has been outlawed. As mainstream success eludes our heroine, leading her to unite with a ragtag team of rejects, misfits, and a certain love interest named Mister J, “Joker the Harlequin” is born again as a confident (and psychotic) joker on a collision course with the city’s fascist caped crusader. Vats of feminizing chemicals, sexy cartoon interludes, scarecrow psychiatrists, CGI Lorne Michaels, and psychedelic gender dysphoria all play supporting roles. Helmed by writer/director/editor/star Vera Drew and using her own life experiences as a basis for the film, THE PEOPLE’S JOKER is a deeply personal journey that’s as much documentary as it is parody.
A genuine multi-hyphenate, Vera Drew is a Los Angeles-based director, writer, editor, and actor. Vera won the 2024 Gotham Award for Breakthrough Director for her debut feature film THE PEOPLE’S JOKER. The film has also received a nomination for the 2025 John Cassavetes Award by the Film Independent Spirit Awards and was awarded the The Narrative Committee Renegade Award at the 2024 Indies. THE PEOPLE’S JOKER was released theatrically in the U.S. and Canada by Altered Innocence and had its world premiere in the Midnight Madness section of the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival. In 2019, Vera's talent was recognized by the Television Academy with an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Picture Editing For Variety Programming for her work editing Sacha Baron Cohen's Showtime comedy series WHO IS AMERICA. Having creatively incubated at Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim's production company Abso Lutely Productions, Vera has edited and contributed visual effects to dozens of iconic comedy television shows, including CHECK IT OUT! WITH DR. STEVE BRULE (Adult Swim), THE BIRTHDAY BOYS (IFC), KRFT PUNK’S POLITICAL PARTY (Adult Swim), I THINK YOU SHOULD LEAVE (Netflix), COMEDY BANG! BANG! (IFC), and ON CINEMA (Adult Swim). She is further known for her work on AN EMMY FOR MEGAN, her role as producer/director/co-writer of BEEF HOUSE, and for launching the Adult Swim streaming network, Channel 5 for which she wrote and directed four comedy series: I Love David, Tim and Eric Quiz, Scum, and Our Bodies. In 2025, Vera co-starred with Josh Fadem and Barbara Crampton in Mickey Reece’s EVERY HEAVY THING. She also recently served as editor on Alice Maio Mackay’s films CARNAGE FOR CHRISTMAS and THE SERPENT’S NEST. She is currently directing her next feature.
