Presents Author: The LT Leroy Story
110 Minutes / English / USA
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Synopsis
New York magazine’s October 2005 issue sent shockwaves through the literary world when it unmasked “it boy” wunderkind JT LeRoy, whose tough prose about his sordid childhood had captivated icons and luminaries internationally. It turned out LeRoy didn’t actually exist. He was dreamed up by 40-year-old San Francisco punk rocker and phone sex operator, Laura Albert.
Author: The JT LeRoy Story takes us down the infinitely fascinating rabbit hole of how Laura Albert—like a Cyrano de Bergerac on steroids—breathed not only words, but life, into her avatar for a decade. Albert’s epic and entertaining account plunges us into a glittery world of rock shows, fashion events, and the Cannes red carpet where LeRoy becomes a mysterious sensation. As she recounts this astonishing odyssey, Albert also reveals the intricate web spun by irrepressible creative forces within her. Her extended and layered JT LeRoy performance still infuriates many; but for Albert, channeling her brilliant fiction through another identity was the only possible path to self-expression.
About Laura Albert
Laura Victoria Albert (born November 2, 1965) is the author of writings that include works credited to the literary persona JT LeRoy, whom Albert described as an "avatar", saying she was able to write things as LeRoy that she could not have said as Laura Albert. Albert was born and raised in Brooklyn. She has also used the names Emily Frasier and Speedie, and published other works as Laura Victoria and Gluttenberg.
About JT Leroy
Jeremiah "Terminator" LeRoy is a literary persona created by American writer Laura Albert. The name was used from 1996 on for publication in magazines such as Nerve and Shout NY. After his first novel Sarah was published, "LeRoy" started making public appearances. In a January 2006 article in The New York Times, LeRoy's agent, manager, movie producer, as well as several journalists, declared that the person acting as LeRoy in public was Savannah Knoop.
LeRoy was supposedly born October 31, 1980 in West Virginia. His backstory was one of prostitution, drug addiction, and vagrancy in California, prior to the publication of his first novel in 1999. However, an exposé in October 2005 revealed that JT LeRoy was Laura Albert.
Albert described LeRoy as an "avatar", and said that she was able to write things as LeRoy that she could not have said as Laura Albert, comparing it to "the way an oyster creates a pearl: out of irritation and suffering. It was an attempt to try to heal something." In 2007 Albert was found liable in monetary damages for the tort of fraud for having signed legal papers in the name of her fictional character. After the reveal, artist/director Robert Wilson created his VOOM video portrait of JT LeRoy. Elements of JT LeRoy went on to inspire "Sweetie", a 2008 episode of Law & Order. Albert and JT are the subjects of the hit Brazilian rock musical JT, Um Conto de Fadas Punk (JT, A Punk Fairy Tale). "The Dramaturg", a 2013 episode of Smash, had two composers pitching their musical as "A Star Is Born meets Hamlet meets Romeo and Juliet. And Moulin Rouge, Gaga, JT LeRoy," with the director responding, "It feels quite current."
About The Filmmakers
Jeff Feuerzeig Jeff Feuerzeig is an award-winning director whose feature film The Devil and Daniel Johnston won the U.S. Documentary Directing Award at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. The film is a portrait of a schizophrenic musician who overcame his private demons to develop an avid international following. Feuerzeig also directed The Real Rocky for ESPN Films’ acclaimed 30 for 30 Series, which views the Chuck Wepner story through the documentary lens.
Robert Sharenow (Executive Producer) Known for Storage Wars (2010), Dog The Bounty Hunter (2003) and The Imposter (2012).
Robert DeBitetto (Executive Producer) Known for his work on The Imposter (2012), Cartel Land (2015) and The Tillman Story (2010).
Eddy Moretti (Executive Producer) Known for Vice News (2013), Vice (2013) and All This Mayhem (2014).
James Packer (Executive Producer) Known for The Revenant (2015), The Lego Movie (2014) and Black Mass (2015).
Jim Czarnecki (Producer) Known for Bowling For Columbine (2002), Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004) and Capitalism: A Love Story (2009).
Brett Ratner (Producer) Known for The Revenant (2015), Prison Break (2005) and Hercules (2014)
Author: The JT Leroy Story
DIRECTOR – Jeff Feuerzeig
SCREENWRITER – Jeff Feuerzeig
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER – Robert Sharenow, Robert DiBitetto, James Packer, Marie Therese Guirgis, Eddy Moretti, Shane Smith & Henry S. Rosenthal
PRODUCER – Jim Czarnecki, Danny Gabai, Molly Thompson, Brett Ratner & Henry S. Rosenthal
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER – Lucas Celler & Casey Feldman
CINEMATOGRAPHER – Richard Henkels
EDITOR – Michelle M. Witten
STARRING – Laura Albert