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The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson

The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson

A life that launched a revolution, a death that remains a mystery.

20177.11h 45m

Overview

Describing herself as a 'street queen,' Johnson was a legendary fixture in New York City’s gay ghetto and a tireless voice for LGBT pride since the days of Stonewall, who along with fellow trans icon Sylvia Rivera, founded Street Transvestites Action Revolutionaries (S.T.A.R.), a trans activist group based in the heart of NYC’s Greenwich Village. Her death in 1992 was declared a suicide by the NYPD, but friends never accepted that version of events. Structured as a whodunit, with activist Victoria Cruz cast as detective and audience surrogate, The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson celebrates the lasting political legacy of Johnson, while seeking to finally solve the mystery of her unexplained death.

Directed by David France
Written by David France, Mark Blane
0

Top Cast

Marsha P. Johnson

Marsha P. Johnson

Self (archive footage)

Victoria Cruz

Victoria Cruz

Self

Sylvia Rivera

Sylvia Rivera

Self (archive footage)

Taylor Mead

Taylor Mead

Self (archive footage)

Pat Bumgardner

Pat Bumgardner

Self (archive footage)

Vito Russo

Vito Russo

Self (archive footage)

Themes & Keywords

new york citysuicidedrag queeninvestigationbiographymurderlgbthate crimeactivisttrans womancold casetransgender rightsgay history

About The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson

The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson is a documentary film released in 2017 exploring themes of new york city, suicide, drag queen, investigation, biography, murder. Directed by David France, it stars Marsha P. Johnson, Victoria Cruz, Sylvia Rivera. Describing herself as a 'street queen,' Johnson was a legendary fixture in New York City’s gay ghetto and a tireless voice for LGBT pride since the days of Stonewall, who along with fellow trans icon Sylvia Rivera, founded Street Transvestites Action Revolutionaries (S.T.A.R.), a trans activist group based in the heart of NYC’s Greenwich Village. Her death in 1992 was declared a suicide by the NYPD, but friends never accepted that version of events. Structured as a whodunit, with activist Victoria Cruz cast as detective and audience surrogate, The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson celebrates the lasting political legacy of Johnson, while seeking to finally solve the mystery of her unexplained death.

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