A team of trans actors are coming together for a table reading of Ang Lee's Academy Award winning film Brokeback Mountain.
The cast, which includes Jen Richards, Brian Michael Smith, Leo Sheng and Alexandra Grey, will bring the film to life as part of the New York LGBTQ+ Film Festival, with director and producer Sam Feder acting as narrator.
In an Instagram post, Sheng, who will play the role of Ennis, wrote: "I think this film, while deeply touched by tragedy and trauma, was a milestone in the industry. You mention the title, and people tend to have a visceral response, from grief or heartache. Like so many queer stories on screen, it explored pain and vulnerability in a way that feels unshakable."
The actor, who starred in The L Word: Generation Q, added: "I’m really looking forward to exploring what it means to have trans folks in these roles and the conversations it might inspire around casting and the nature/evolution of queer narratives!"
The Brokeback Mountain live-read is free—with an optional suggested donation—and will take place Sunday, October 18 at 6pm ET/3pm PT. It will be livestreamed on Newfest’s YouTube and Facebook pages.
The event is being produced as part of the #MakeItGay live reads series, founded during COVID-19 quarantine as a way to “reimagine typically white, straight, cis and male films into ones with diverse casts of various queer people.”
While the reading is , donations will be accepted with all proceeds being donated to both The NewFest Future Fund, which helps produce film-making programs for LGBTIQ+ youth, as well as the New York City Anti-Violence Project (AVP).
