Sundance

Seattle directors Sara McCaslin and Danny Tayara will be premiering their latest short film OH, I GET IT

The short doc takes issue with the oppressive stand-up comedy culture, and provides suggestions for how it can be fixed.

Seattle directors Sara McCaslin and Danny Tayara are on their way to Park City. The duo will be premiering their latest short film OH, I GET IT, a documentary exposing the challenges facing queer comedians in the world of stand-up comedy, on January 24 at the Slamdance Film Festival this January.

OH I GET IT was made by the feminist film collective Union Street Films for the International Fusion Documentary Challenge. It was among twelve finalists for the top prize, which will be announced at Slamdance. Following the premiere, the film is on to the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival in Missoula in February.

Says Tayara, “We were disheartened to hear from close friends that, for marginalized people, starting out in the stand-up comedy scene can be a daunting plunge to take- even in one of the most progressive cities in the country. The genius behind our beloved queer comics is stronger because they tell their own story, and not anyone else’s--something that most straight white male comedians haven’t come to understand yet, and now they are threatened by it. Any professional should be capable of writing comedy without using someone else's identity as the punchline. Like Ijeoma Oluo says in the film, 'when you stop laughing, the jokes change.' We ‘get’ bad jokes, we're just not laughing.”

The film features appearances from Ijeoma Oluo (a Seattle-based writer, speaker, and internet yeller, whose work has appeared in The Guardian, The Stranger, New York Magazine, Huffington Post, and more), and Elicia Sanchez (co-producer of three local Seattle comedy shows who has written for websites Wonder and Risk, Have You Nerd?, Capeless Crusader, Autostraddle and Jezebel), among others.

Danny Tayara’s past projects include a behind-the-scenes featurette for LUCKY THEM (dir. Megan Griffiths), and the 2012 short film WHILE WE’RE ASLEEP. Currently Programming Coordinator with Three Dollar Bill Cinema, Danny manages screening committees for the Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival, and Translations, the Seattle Transgender Film Festival. Danny’s career as a filmmaker began at Reel Queer Youth video production and media literacy training for LGBTQ youth and allies, and she now manages the program.

Sara McCaslin is a photographer, filmmaker and editor dedicated to creating media on underreported stories. Born and raised in Flint, Michigan, Sara is passionate about creating work on issues like class, race and gender inequality. She also serves as a youth and adult media educator for various organizations around Seattle.

To request an online link to preview the film or speak to either of the filmmakers, please contact ryan@smarthousecreative.com.