The People's Joker UK

Synopsis
Director / co-writer Vera Drew stars alongside Tim Heidecker, Bob Odenkirk and many others in this revolutionary DIY parody film. The People’s Joker’s hilarious reimagining of the classic autobiographical coming-of-age story follows an unconfident, closeted trans girl as she moves to Gotham to make it big as a comedian, joining the cast of government-sanctioned sketch show UCB Live, in a world where comedy has been outlawed.

The People's Joker UK Quad Poster, featuring a comic book cover-style composite image with the title and, the lead character many of the supporting characters, and the tag line "come see how she got these (emotional) scars". The image is balanced with festival and awards laurels and pull quotes from reviews.

Awards laurels for The People's Joker, Film Independent Spirit Awards 2025 Nominee, LAFCA New Generation Award, The Gothams Breakthrough Director 2024 Winner.

Matchbox Cine distributes The People’s Joker in UK and Ireland. If you’d like to arrange a screening, please contact: distribution@matchboxcine.com.

Let your local cinema / screening space / festival / DIY exhibitor know you want to see The People’s Joker where you live 🃏

Upcoming UK & Ireland Screenings

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Previous UK & Ireland Screenings
26/10/24 OFFLINE, Glasgow, with Weird Weekend
14/02/25 Light House, Dublin, with Trans Image/Trans Experience Film Festival
15/02/25 Prince Charles Cinema, London, with Funeral Parade of Roses and TGirlsOnFilm
21/02/25 Chapter, Cardiff
21/02/25 The Dukes, Lancaster
21/02/25 Showroom, Sheffield
22/02/25 Chapter, Cardiff
22/02/25 Irish Film Institute, Dublin
22/02/25 Pálás, Galway
22/02/25 The Dukes, Lancaster, with Queer Boots
22/02/25 Cultplex, Manchester, with GASP! Horror Fest
22/02/25 Star and Shadow, Newcastle upon Tyne
22/02/25 Showroom, Sheffield
23/02/25 Chapter, Cardiff
23/02/25 Showroom, Sheffield
24/02/25 Chapter, Cardiff
24/02/25 Cameo, Edinburgh
24/02/25 Queen’s Film Theatre, Belfast, with LUMI
24/02/25 Duke’s at Komedia, Brighton
24/02/25 Cube Microplex, Bristol, with Queer Vision and Switch
24/02/25 Picturehouse, Epsom
24/02/25 Pálás, Galway, with Bród Soc
24/02/25 Picturehouse @ FACT, Liverpool
24/02/25 Finsbury Park Picturehouse, London
24/02/25 Hackney Picturehouse, London
24/02/25 Cinema City, Norwich
24/02/25 Showroom, Sheffield
24/02/25 City Screen, York
25/02/25 The Little Theatre Cinema, Bath
25/02/25 Mockingbird Cinema, Birmingham
25/02/25 Chapter, Cardiff
25/02/25 QUARRY, Liverpool, with Paraphysis Cinema
25/02/25 Showroom, Sheffield
26/02/25 Chapter, Cardiff
26/02/25 Light House, Dublin
27/02/25 Chapter, Cardiff
27/02/25 Irish Film Institute, Dublin
26/02/25 Pálás, Galway
26/02/25 Rio Cinema, London
26/02/25 Showroom, Sheffield
27/02/25 Showroom, Sheffield
28/02/25 Eden Court, Inverness
01/03/25 Eden Court, Inverness
28/02/25 Barbican, London
01/03/25 Barbican, London
03/03/25 Triskel Arts Centre, Cork
03/03/25 Rio Cinema, London, with Pink Palace
04/03/25 Triskel Arts Centre, Cork
04/03/25 Connaught Cinema, Worthing
05/03/25 Triskel Arts Centre, Cork
05/03/25 Prince Charles Cinema, London
06/03/25 Genesis Cinema,, London
06/03/25 Barbican, London
08/03/25 Prince Charles Cinema, London
08/03/25 QUARRY, Liverpool, with Paraphysis Cinema
13/03/25 Prince Charles Cinema, London
16/03/25 DCA, Dundee, with Dundead
18/03/25 Prince Charles Cinema, London
26/03/25 The Ultimate Picture Palace, Oxford, with Translate Oxford
28/03/25 Forum Cinema, Hexham, with Tyne Valley Film Festival & Sweet Boy
28/03/25 Broadway, Nottingham, with Fortune & Glory
29/03/25 Prince Charles Cinema, London
29/03/25 Plymouth Arts Centre, Plymouth, with Trans Pride Plymouth
01/04/25 CCA, Glasgow, with Weird Weekend
11/04/25 Electric Palace Cinema, Hastings
12/04/25 Hull Truck Cinema, with Hull Independent Cinema
13/04/25 Electric Palace Cinema, Hastings
21/04/25 Phoenix, Leicester with Screen Queens
04/05/25 Robert Burns Centre, Dumfries
31/05/25 Warwick Student Cinema, Warwick
19/06/25 Pontio, Bangor
28/06/25 Lighthouse, Dublin, with Trans Image/Trans Experience Film Festival
26/07/25 The Queery, with Wet Puppet Cinema
17/08/25 Prince Charles Cinema, London
11/09/25 The Arner, London, with Vera Drew remote Q&A
17/09/25 The Arzner, with descriptive subtitles
02/10/25 Leith Kino, Edinburgh
16/11/25 The Globe, Glossop, with Glossop Cinema Club
27/11/25 Bridge 5 Mill, Manchester, with Partisan Cinema
14/11/25 SU Nelson Mandela Auditorium, Sheffield, with University of Sheffield Film Unit
12/11/25 Micklegate Social, York
31/03/26 Genesis Cinema, London
01/04/26 Cultplex, Manchester
03/04/26 Filmhouse, Edinburgh

Access
Descriptive Subtitles and Audio Description are available for all UK screenings of The People’s Joker, at the venue/exhibitor’s discretion and depending on their technical capacity. If you have any questions, please contact access@matchboxcine.com.

The People’s Joker is distributed in the US by Altered Innocence
The People’s Joker is distributed in Australia by Umbrella Entertainment
The People’s Joker is distributed internationally by Yellow Veil Pictures

thepeoplesjoker.com | The People’s Joker on Letterboxd

Vera Drew Interviews