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$upport SWANN QUEEN & fund our film! as of March 2026, we're HALFWAY TO OUR GOAL! Thank you for helping us to honor the art of drag and Black queer film. See below for cost breakdowns and how your donations will help us finish our film.
Hi I’m L cedeño miller, and I’m a filmmaker and MFA film student in Washington, DC. My thesis project, SWANN QUEEN, is a short fiction film inspired by the real world's first drag queen, William Dorsey Swann, who hosted balls in DC in the late 1800s(!). The police routinely raided Swann's soirees, arresting and jailing attendees found in this "hell of iniquity." (Evening Star, January 1896)
SWANN QUEEN reimagines a night at Billy Swann’s drag ball, just before they’re raided by police, and Swann must choose to run or resist. I’m honored to co-create this short film with a powerful team that will hopefully include you, because it do take a village, and it do take nerve.
This fundraiser allowed us to pay our cast, crew, location fees, costumes, wigs, props, and much more. We are now deep in the post-production process, and need your help to finish our film. Filmmaking is expensive, but with your support, we'll be able to pay everyone - including our incredible editor and music composers! - what they deserve and make SWANN QUEEN a reality.
Why this film and why us?
SWANN QUEEN is inspired by William Dorsey Swann's story, and drag artists, queens, kings, and thems everywhere, especially DC. Swann Street NW was recently renamed in honor of William Dorsey Swann, and we're excited to be part of this growing reclamation of our hometown queen. Our production team consists of Black, Latinx, trans and gender non-conforming drag performers, DC natives and longtime residents. Our post-production team is led by our trans masc editor and Black queer musicians. We are honored to create a portal between us and the earliest drag performers in DC.
$$$ raised as of March 2026
- $5,440.53 - gofundme (after fees)
- $428 - offline donations
- $651 - community fundraisers
- $3,000 - grant awarded from grad film program grant
- $2,000 - director's personal investment
$$$ spent
PRODUCTION $7,910.20
POST-PRODUCTION $1,500
$$$ NEEDED
Editor $3,000
Sonic Masterminds (music composers) $4,000
pictured above: Pussy Noir as Billy Swann, photo by Natasha Salvatierra
Organizer
