On Friday, June 14, Queendom, the sophomore feature-length documentary directed by Agniia Galdanova, premiered in select theaters across the US. In New York, a sold-out viewing and panel in the 63-seat Cinema Village featured not only Galdanova, but also executive producers Michèle Lamy and David France, producer Igor Myakotin, and the film’s subject, Jenna Marvin.

The film delves deep into Marvin’s experience as a young queer performance artist from Magadan, Russia, an eastern fishing region. She makes the most of her stifling rural environment, creating uncanny costumes from fabric, tape, and ostentatiously high platform heels, which have become a foundational element to her art. Performances shift and develop based on the garments, at times reminiscent of a dancer, elegantly gliding through space with acute awareness, other times stiff and hobbling, even drawing like a supernatural demonic entity. These ensembles are the key to her practice, personifying the pariah that society has labeled her as. Marvin’s conservative community and family fail to accept her form of self expression, and she’s met with homophobic vitriol and violence. This only begins to alleviate, albeit briefly, when she enrolls in cosmetology school in Moscow, 10,000km from home. Marvin begins to come into herself, finding familiars and participating in street activism by using her performance practice during political demonstrations. Her creative rise takes a turn when the artist is expelled from school for bearing the likeness of the Russian flag with body paint and dress, while protesting the country’s invasion of Ukraine. Left with no resources to stay in Moscow, she goes back to living in social isolation in Magadan with her grandparents. Throughout the film, her seclusion and psychological suffocation are punctuated by scenes of her surrealist performances beautifully shot in alien landscapes of the region. Queendom shows Marvin’s practice as necessary to her survival, even when suppression seemed inescapable.

Photographed by Igor Myakotin.

Still from Queendom.

There are also plenty of triumphant moments. We see Marvin’s confidence build throughout the film as she finds a home in fashion and the international queer community. She gains a following on social media posting videos that highlight her humor: she’d run on a treadmill in an inflatable latex suit, then walk on ice with her ankles bending like rubber though she never fell down, all for the right shot. Passersby gawk, but it seems that that’s the point; it seems the performances are reminding people that there’s an absurdity to existence.

With riveting poetic shots and fine-tuned editing, Galdanova tells Marvin’s story through a series of visually arresting shots that highlight the artist’s larger-than life-performances as well as the nuances of everyday life. The film is nearly soundtrackless, a choice that offers an exquisite intimacy and allows emotional and aesthetic subtleties to shine.

Following the screening there was a Q&A featuring Marvin, Galdanova, Myakotin, and moderator, Margaret Brown. Audience members inquired about Galdanova and Marvin’s experience filming in violent clashes between authorities and protesters. Knowing that Marvin would likely be arrested for donning a look of barbed wire and tape, Galdanova shared that she vowed to get arrested beside her and packed necessities for their impending jail time. The cinematographer joined on roller skates at protests, making it easy for them to flee with the equipment. The very making of Queendom is itself a timely exploration of resilience in the face of adversity.

Still from Queendom.

Photographed by Igor Myakotin.

Known for her dedication to burgeoning artists of all mediums, Queendom’s producer Michèle Lamy spoke on the importance of uplifting the next generation of boundary-pushing artists as a way to continue to move culture forward. She has future work with Galdanova on the horizon, including a performance in Venice and plans to make a film in the vein of protest for a free Palestinian state, shot in Jordan this summer.

There’s a quickness to call Marvin “brave,” but bravery is when someone walks into the line of fire with intention, not someone who opts for survival in the face of oppression and finds a way to thrive despite the circumstances. At its core, the film is a testimony to the weight of authenticity that unveils a softness, despite the strength needed for survival. In doing so, Queendom not only redefines our understanding of performance art and politics, but also challenges viewers to embrace the inherent complexity and beauty of the human experience.