The dream of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) celebrating their 15 year anniversary back in Austin, Texas, where the sport was revived, was cancelled back in May of this year by the pandemic. However, derby will still happen in Austin, Texas this year as the documentary “Queens of Pain” has been selected for this year’s virtual Austin Film Festival.
The 75 minute documentary follows three Gotham skaters Suzy Hotrod (Queens of Pain), Evilicious (Brooklyn Bombshells) and Captain Smack Sparrow (Diamond District) through the struggles of the 2018 Gotham home season. With the city as the backdrop, the film highlights the extreme level of sacrifice and personal toll needed to play this sport in New York City. As Suzy Hotrod points out in the film, “The people who come here and do it, they are all in.”
Directed by Cassie Hay, a former Gotham skater herself (Haulin’ Cass) and her sister Amy Winston, the film follows on Cassie’s SXSW nominated documentary “The Liberators” (2016). Inspired by the #MeToo movement, the sisters wanted to, “shed light on communities of women who empower each other.” With Amy as a non-derby outsider, the pair have struck a perfect balance between an in depth profile and a story that will also resonate with the uninitiated.
Originally centred on Suzy Hotrod, the scope of the film grew to include Gotham’s former PR head and new mother Evilicious and rookie Captain Smack Sparrow. The film is fuller for it, piecing together various different experiences, perspectives and struggles of three skaters all focused on the same goals. From one of the sport’s longest tenured and most familiar faces, to a rookie who grew up just minutes from Gotham’s Crash Pad, the stories are unique but complimentary. These are three people, at various stages, all committed to making this sport fit in their life.
Made by a patchwork crew flying into New York from Austin and San Fransisco on weekends in 2018, the filming process wasn’t impacted by the pandemic, but the production and film festival process has been. Winston and Hay both wanted to stress positives, the virtual aspect of the film festival allows for a greater global audience and a lack of content currently may help the film. Matching the resilience of their subjects, Hay, who was part of the original Gotham search for the Crash Pad, also has high hopes that Gotham Girls Roller Derby will rebound after the recent loss of their practice venue.
No spoilers, but the film is a new high-water mark in terms of the production quality of a derby documentary. There are shots in the film which leave a lasting impact, long pre and post game shots capturing faces and reactions in ways which perfectly illustrate the tension, nerves and passion of this sport. For many people, after seven months without derby, those shots will take you right back to those emotions.
The film debuts at October 24 at 5:45 PM Central Time and you can purchase tickets here for $10. The film will also be up for an Audience Favourite award, which you can register after screening.
Best of all for derby fans, there are no location restrictions, so you can tune in from anywhere in the world!
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