I Am Divine is the story of Divine, aka Harris Glenn Milstead, from his humble beginnings as an overweight, teased Baltimore youth to internationally recognized drag superstar through his collaboration with filmmaker John Waters.
Spitting in the face of the status quos of body image, gender identity, sexuality, and preconceived notions of beauty, Divine was the ultimate outsider turned underground royalty.
With a completely committed in-your-face style, he blurred the line between performer and personality, and revolutionized pop culture. I Am Divine is a definitive biographical portrait that charts the legendary icon’s rise to infamy and emotional complexities.
Filmmaker’s Comments
I Am Divine is a story about a man who fought against what society considers conventionally beautiful. It’s about addiction. It’s about fame. It’s about the quest for the spotlight and artistic respect. Divine’s complete commitment to being and expressing himself perhaps did more to promote notions of freedom and acceptance than he knew. He certainly paved the way for legions of misfits to come.
Jeffrey Schwarz – Director/Producer
Jeffrey Schwarz’s previous films include HBO’s Vito, about the beloved gay activist and film scholar, Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story, about the legendary Hollywood showman, and Wrangler: Anatomy of an Icon, on 70s adult film star Jack Wrangler. He is currently in production Tab Hunter Confidential, about the 1950s screen heartthrob.
The film will be previewing at SXSW Film Festival. Below are show times:
SXSW Screening Times
Saturday 3/9 – 9:15pm – Alamo Ritz 1&2
Wednesday 3/13 – 9:30pm – Stateside Theatre
Thursday 3/14 – 11:15am – SXSatellite: Alamo Slaughter
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
