Don't Cry for Me All You Drag Queens (2024)

A short film that pays homage to the legendary Mother Cavallucci by weaving together the present and past to provide a striking portrait of belonging and memory. Poetically merging archival photographs and present-day footage from a community drag show, the film sparks conversation about the modern-day issues Mother Cavallucci revolutionized.

"Don’t Cry For Me All You Drag Queens" pays homage to the legendary Mother Cavallucci by weaving together the present and past to provide a striking portrait of belonging and memory. Joseph “Josie” Cavallucci (aka Mother Cavallucci) is a legendary New Hope drag queen that would host annual wedding celebrations in the 70s and 80s that served as fundraisers and a community party. Poetically merging archival photographs and present day footage from a community drag show, the film sparks conversation about the modern day issues Mother Cavallucci revolutionized.

ESP: Don't Cry For Me All You Drag Queens rinde homenaje a la legendaria Madre Cavallucci entretejiendo el presente y el pasado para ofrecer un impactante retrato de pertenencia y memoria. Combinando poéticamente fotografías de archivo y metraje actual de un espectáculo drag comunitario, la película genera una conversación sobre los temas modernos que revolucionó la Madre Cavallucci.

PORT: "Don’t Cry For Me All You Drag Queens" homenageia a lendária Mother Cavallucci, entrelaçando passado e presente para oferecer um retrato profundo de pertencimento e memória. Joseph “Josie” Cavallucci, ou Mother Cavallucci, foi uma drag queen icônica de New Hope, conhecida por organizar casamentos anuais nas décadas de 70 e 80, que funcionavam como eventos beneficentes e celebrações comunitárias. Combinando fotos de arquivo e cenas de shows drag contemporâneos, o filme provoca uma reflexão sobre os desafios modernos que Mother Cavallucci ajudou a transformar.

Director Biography - Kristal Sotomayor

Kristal Sotomayor is an award-winning nonbinary Peruvian American filmmaker, journalist, and curator based in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. They are a 2023 DOC NYC Documentary New Leader Honoree, a Ford Foundation Rockwood Documentary Leadership Fellow, and were named one of HipLatina’s “10 Latinx Filmmakers You Should Know About.” Their short documentary Expanding Sanctuary, an award-winning film that screened widely at festivals across the globe, won the Philadelphia Filmmaker Award at the 2024 BlackStar Film Festival and is distributed by OTV, Kanopy, and New Day Films. Their short documentary Don’t Cry For Me All You Drag Queens received multiple awards, including Best LGBTQ Documentary at the 2025 Poppy Jasper International Film Festival, and screened internationally. Kristal’s debut narrative short Las Cosas Que Brillan, a coming-of-age story about a Trans Latina mermaid, was produced with support from BlackStar. Kristal is developing their debut feature documentary Untitled PARS Project on the surveillance of immigrant communities with support from the Sundance Film Institute, and producing their first audio documentary on water rights in Pennsylvania with Voice of Witness. Their work has been supported by Outfest, If/Then, Points North Institute, MDOCS, DCTV, and NeXtDoc. In addition to their creative practice, Kristal previously served as Awards Competition Manager for the IDA Documentary Awards and has curated acclaimed programming for SFFILM, Frameline, True/False Film Fest, and the Philadelphia Latino Film Festival. They currently serve as Director of Marketing, Audience Engagement & Community Partnerships at cinéSPEAK, and their writing has appeared in The Philadelphia Inquirer, Documentary Magazine, Autostraddle, AL DÍA, and WHYY.

Director Statement

Don’t Cry For Me All You Drag Queens (DCFMAYDQ) began through a program that the LGBTQ+ nonprofit New Hope Celebrates (NHC) started with Outfest Film Festival to make films about the queer community in New Hope, PA (an hour from Philly where I am based). Knowing my history making films with a deep commitment to community, NHC brought me into this program to produce a meaningful and impactful film.

DCFMAYDQ pays homage to Mother Cavallucci, a legendary New Hope drag queen that would host annual wedding celebrations in the 70s and 80s that served as fundraisers and community events. Poetically merging archival photographs and present day footage from a community drag show, the film commemorates her legacy and the community she was able to foster.

Not being from New Hope, it has been vital for me to work with collaborators Phoebe Manntrappe (reigning Miss New Hope) and Miss Pumpkin. NHC has served to hold me accountable to the community. I have also attended community events, spoken with many local community members and had conversations with NHC about how to best celebrate Mother.

Through conversations about the impact of Mother Cavallucci, what came to the forefront was the void that she left when she passed. The weddings she would put together ended and so too did a vital community space. Phoebe Manntrappe and Miss Pumpkin produced the show that serves as the heart of the film, creating a space for intergenerational community members to collectively commemorate and learn about Mother.

DCFMAYDQ is a labor of love. The crew was majority LGBTQIA+, women or nonbinary folks, and people of color. Being a nonbinary filmmaker, I resonate with Mother Cavallucci's story deeply. She was someone who brought together a community in a time where dressing in drag and being gender expansive were a criminal offense. It is an honor to tell the story of an ancestor that gave so much back to her small town to make it a place that is now friendly for people like me.

Please tell us your motivation for making your film:

Don’t Cry For Me All You Drag Queens (DCFMAYDQ) began through a program that the LGBTQ+ nonprofit New Hope Celebrates (NHC) started with Outfest Film Festival to make films about the queer community in New Hope, PA (an hour from Philly where I am based). Knowing my history making films with a deep commitment to community, NHC brought me into this program to produce a meaningful and impactful film. DCFMAYDQ pays homage to Mother Cavallucci, a legendary New Hope drag queen that would host annual wedding celebrations in the 70s and 80s that served as fundraisers and community events. Poetically merging archival photographs and present day footage from a community drag show, the film commemorates her legacy and the community she was able to foster. Not being from New Hope, it has been vital for me to work with collaborators Phoebe Manntrappe (reigning Miss New Hope) and Miss Pumpkin. NHC has served to hold me accountable to the community. I have also attended community events, spoken with many local community members and had conversations with NHC about how to best celebrate Mother. Through conversations about the impact of Mother Cavallucci, what came to the forefront was the void that she left when she passed. The weddings she would put together ended and so too did a vital community space. Phoebe Manntrappe and Miss Pumpkin produced the show that serves as the heart of the film, creating a space for intergenerational community members to collectively commemorate and learn about Mother. DCFMAYDQ is a labor of love. The crew was majority LGBTQIA+, women or nonbinary folks, and people of color. Being a nonbinary filmmaker, I resonate with Mother Cavallucci's story deeply. She was someone who brought together a community in a time where dressing in drag and being gender expansive were a criminal offense. It is an honor to tell the story of an ancestor that gave so much back to her small town to make it a place that is now friendly for people like me.

What are the themes and central messages you wanted to convey with your submission?:

The film’s themes are queer ancestry and legacy. The central message is to be unapologetically yourself, just like Mother Cavallucci always said.

Credits:

Kristal Sotomayor

Director

Expanding Sanctuary

Brendan Gaul

Executive Producers

TRAVERSE32

Brett Henenberg

Executive Producers

TRAVERSE32

Sara Scully

Executive Producers

Kristal Sotomayor

Producer

Expanding Sanctuary

Nic Cory

Producer

TRAVERSE32

Daniel Brooks

Producer

Luke Bonzani

Associate Producer

TRAVERSE32

María Luisa Santos

Editor

Direcciones (New Yorker Documentry), TER

William Maxwell

Original Music

Nayuribe Montero Jiménez

Sound Designer

Easton Carter Angle

Director of Photography

Project Type:

Documentary, Experimental, Short

Runtime:

9 minutes

Completion Date:

May 3, 2024

Country of Origin:

United States

Country of Filming:

United States

Language:

English

Film Color:

Color

First-time Filmmaker:

No

Student Project:

No

TikTok :

https://www.tiktok.com/@sotomayorproductions

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLxb8W6GjyeVYLpgAg8DjaA