MINI SUPREME (2015) by Writer/Director Michael Phillis:
SYNOPSIS: Jeremie has a hard time being a grown-up. When his childish behavior gets him fired from his stuffy corporate job, he hatches a plan to use immaturity to his advantage. Enlisting the aid of Dominika, his dour Russian landlady, Jeremie sews, preens, plucks, and bedazzles himself into “Jennie Jo,” a seven-year-old pageant princess with a (fictional) growth disorder. Disguised as mother and daughter, Dominika and Jeremie infiltrate the Darling Diamond Divas Pageant for a chance at the $5000 cash prize. But the pageant world is more cutthroat than Jeremie imagined: with devilishly dishy moms in the crowd and a cute but ruthless Pageant Pro onstage, he'll need more than perfect hair and a glitz dress to survive. Armed with unexpected wisdom from a fellow underdog, Jeremie sets out to win the Ultimate Grand Supreme title—and grow up a bit in the process.
In an interview with Michael Phillis while at Palm Springs International Shortfest, here is what he had to say:
How did you come up with this idea?
Years ago I got hooked on the TLC reality show Toddlers & Tiaras, which follows adolescent pageant contestants and their families. It's really a terrible show but I find it fascinating! It's like a microcosm of our society and everything that's wrong with it-- the unattainable ideals of beauty we perpetuate, the skewed values we pass on to our kids, the ridiculous amounts of makeup & costume we make girls wear. I started to wonder: what would happen if an adult did all of these same things? And then: what if it was an adult man? I was also in a dead-end corporate job at the time that I desperately wanted to escape. I decided to combine the two ideas: a man losing his awful corporate job and deciding to enter a kid's pageant to make his rent money. The idea stuck with me and I wrote the script, found the crew, and quit my job a month later. And I'm so glad I did!
Are there really adult men auditioning for little girl pageants?
No, and I don't think there should be. But by placing an adult male in that world, it highlights the inherent comedy and ridiculousness of pageants: taking what is 'natural' in the pageant world and looking at it through a sort of 'funhouse mirror' that distorts and skews it.
What can you say about cross dressers, transvestites or transsexuals? Do you think now that gay marriage is legal in America that we have finally arrived at total acceptance?
I live in San Francisco and I'm happy to say that drag, cross-dressing, and trans people are a natural part of our landscape. Gender and dress are very fluid here. I know so many people who have two lives: their day persona and their night persona, and oftentimes those are two different genders. I also know just as many people who have one persona, which is of a different gender or identity from that which they were born into. We're very accepting and open about that here, but I know that's not the case everywhere else. Like you said, crossing genders is not a new phenomenon and cross-dressing is as old as humanity itself-- I'm not sure why so many people take issue with it, because I'm not sure how it affects their lives negatively. My relationships with drag queens, gender queers, and trans people have only enriched my life!
Do you feel that the world is progressing in its equality and treatment among homosexuality and/or transvestites or do you feel there is a rising tension?
I hope that the world is changing for the better, but sometimes I wish it would change faster. I'm glad to see the topic of trans rights gaining national attention in the US as high profile trans-identified people (Laverne Cox, Caitlyn Jenner, & many more) make their presence and their stories known. I'm thrilled that the US Supreme Court is at least talking about gay marriage rights, which was a taboo subject not that long ago. The more we gain acceptance and understanding, for every kind of person, the better this world will be. When it comes down to it, we're fighting to LOVE: to love who we want to love, to have that love recognized, to love the person we are even if that's not the person we were born to be. I don't think love can ever be wrong. I think we need more of it! And if people can relate their love to another human being's-- even if they don't share that same kind of love-- we can start to see each other as equals, and not "others."
Since this film has an endlessly debatable subject, do you think you will turn this into a feature or a series?
Yes! We made Mini Supreme as a stand-alone short film but the possibilities for this story are HUGE. I've written two versions of the continued story of Jeremie/Jennie Jo: one feature script, and 6 short film 'episodes.' Both continue the story in interesting and unexpected ways. All I can say is that as Jennie Jo makes waves in the pageant world, it creates BIG consequences for her alter ego, Jeremie. Screwball comedy ensues but we always keep it anchored with the heart and empathy of the original short film.
What was your experience at PSSFF and how were the responses to this film?
The Palm Springs International ShortFest was an incredible experience. We made our World Premiere on Opening Night and couldn't have asked for a better response to the film. So many people relate to the characters, which is wonderful considering how larger-than-life the film is. It really is a movie for all the boys who wanted to wear the dress, all the girls who didn't, and anyone who ever came in second place. I loved every moment of the ShortFest and I got to see about 100 shorts from all over the world, AND meet some of the talented people who made them. It's a tremendous effort on the part of the Palm Springs International Film Society and I can't thank them enough for giving us the opportunity to show our film in such great company.
What are your plans next for this film and for future projects?
Mini Supreme is currently playing in Frameline, San Francisco's International LGBTQ Film Festival (the oldest and largest in the world!). After that we head to Outfest, a very fun and prestigious LGBTQ festival in Los Angeles. We may have some other festival plays later this year-- still waiting to hear. I've submitted the film to many festivals in the Midwest and Southern United States, places where drag is much less common and pageants are a way of life. I'd love to see how it plays there and if those audiences take the same things from the movie.
We're actively looking for funding and partnerships for the next step, whether it's a feature film or a series of Mini Supreme episodes. No matter what, I'll be filming new Mini Supreme material later this year-- whether we're on our own or with help, we want to continue this story and there's no better time than right now!
Writer/Director Michael Phillis
Interview by Vanessa McMahon