KAREN WILLIAMS: I HAD TO LAUGH
The year is 1983, and Karen Williams bursts onto the standup comedy scene as the first out Black lesbian to perform lesbian-specific material on stage. Four decades later, she's still making us laugh.
Description
New York Premiere
Karen Williams burst onto the San Francisco Bay Area comedy circuit in the early 1980s as the country’s first openly lesbian Black comic to perform lesbian-specific material. A feminist and LGBTQ+ rights activist, she became known for her quick repartee and insightful commentary. Off-stage, though, Williams struggled as a single mom, and in 1988 she founded the HaHa Institute to help others find healing through humor.
Award-winning director Andrea Meyerson brings her story to the screen, tracing her battle to break into male-dominated comedy clubs and the joy of finding her audience. Vintage performance footage is woven with interviews from family members and colleagues—including Kate Clinton, Marga Gomez, and Diane Amos, as well as Karen herself—to reveal the life of a remarkably creative, prolific woman.
This screening will be followed by a Q&A.
Part of the 38th Annual New York LGBTQ+ Film Festival
Director
Andrea Meyerson
Producer
Andrea Meyerson, Marsha Naify
Cast
Karen Williams, Kate Clinton, Marga Gomez, Diane Amos, Karen Ripley
Cinematographer
Adriana Torres
Editing
Adriana Torres