Canamedia takes Hunky Jesus doc global

Canadian distributor Canamedia has picked up global sales rights to Tigerlily Pictures feature documentary, Hunky Jesus.

The film, which is being launched to international buyers at Mipcom, has been directed by Jennifer M. Kroot and explores San Francisco’s Easter Sunday celebration of the same name.

The event is hosted by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a queer and trans order of activist nuns who have spent more than four decades combining performance, protest and charitable work.

The doc is hosted by one of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, Sister Roma, and RuPaul’s Drag Race alum Honey Mahogany, and goes behind the scenes of the annual event, which draws more than 10,000 people.

The film also explores the Sisters’ wider work around equality, social justice and community, featuring archival material, theatrical visuals and first-hand accounts to explore how ideas around faith, identity and belonging are being challenged.

Brian Benson (Dolores) is attached as producer alongside Gerry Kim (I’m No Longer Here) and Christine Yoo (26.2 to Life), with the latter’s label Film Hālau overseeing theatrical strategy. The original score is composed by Michael Hearst (Magic Camp) and editor is Bill Weber (To Be Takei).

Andrea Stokes, vice president of sales & acquisitions at Canamedia, said: “Hunky Jesus immediately stood out to us for its distinctive characters, infectious sense of joy and the genuinely universal themes at its heart.”

Stokes said the film would appeal to buyers “looking for bold, character-led documentaries with a strong point of view.”

Kroot added: ”The Sisters have always believed that radical joy is for everyone. It’s incredibly rewarding to see the film travelling beyond the places people might expect and reaching audiences who may come to it with very different perspectives.

“We made a film about a very specific community in San Francisco, but its message of belonging, compassion and finding joy in the face of adversity is universal and we hope audiences will take comfort in that.”

The film joins Canamedia slate that spans documentaries, lifestyle, adventure, arts and entertainment, wildlife and sports, and includes features Goddess of Slide: The Forgotten Story of Ellen McIlwaine and long-running documentary series The Aviators.