Restaurant Redbird in Downtown Los Angeles is known as one of the city’s hotspots and sought-after event spaces. Last month on Tuesday, November 7th, people gathered in Redbird’s Garden to support a special cause: funding the awards campaign for the transgender film Monica, with the film’s director Andrea Pallaoro, and two lead actors, Trace Lysette and Patricia Clarkson, in attendance. 

An intimate portrait of a transgender woman who returns home after a long absence to confront the wounds of her past, Monica follows its titular character (Trace Lysette) reconnecting with her mother (Patricia Clarkson) and the rest of her family for the first time since leaving as a teenager. The film delves into Monica’s internal world and state of mind, her pain and fears, her needs and desires as she embarks on a path of healing and acceptance, to explore the universal themes of abandonment and forgiveness.

The inspiration for the film is deeply personal for director/co-writer/co-producer Andrea Pallaoro. “During the past few years my mother’s illness has compelled me to confront my past and the psychological effects of abandonment,” he says in his director’s statement for Monica, “Treading between the interior and exterior, the emotional and physical, Monica explores the complexities of self-worth, the deep-rooted consequences of rejection and the lengths we go to heal our wounds.”

Academy Award-nominee and Emmy Award-winner Patricia Clarkson, who portrays Monica’s ailing mother Eugenia, told the guests at the Redbird fundraiser that Monica was the quickest she’s ever said yes to a project. “It was not lost on me that finally a wonderful transgender actress [Trace Lysette] would lead a film, tell a real story, not be secondary. And I also knew that Eugenia was a very big challenge for me. I’m a very verbal and a very physical actress, and I was robbed of both in this part,” Clarkson reflected via phone a few days after the event. “And I wanted the challenge. I didn’t know if I could rise to it, but I knew the script was beautiful, I knew Andrea was a great director, and I knew Trace was fantastic. So I took the gamble that, you know, I’ll find this character. I will make my path down this deeply emotionally physically debilitated woman.” 

The film screened at the 79th Venice Film Festival and received an eleven and a half minute standing ovation there. The film being recognized in the United States has special meaning for the American actors who star in Monica. Clarkson expounds, “Andrea’s had phenomenal reactions from London to Spain to Paris to – everywhere he’s gone with this film. But to bring it home, and for me to go home to New Orleans and do a screening of this for my family, it was so important to me.”

With such accolades and the caliber of artists behind it, one might wonder why a project like Monica would need to fundraise for their awards season, however it’s a struggle that many independent films face when seeking recognition for their work without major studio budgets behind them, especially during a year with two major guilds on strike. However, that doesn’t mean Monica is no less impactful and relatable. 

“This film speaks to everyone,” Clarkson urges, “That’s what’s remarkable about it, and it makes me angry when people think it’s some small little arty film. It’s not in any way small. It is artistic, but it is dealing with the largest and most powerful themes we encounter in a lifetime…it’s just very intimate.” 

Pallaoro explores this notion further in his director’s statement, “Through a cinematic language that stems from the juxtaposition of the aesthetics of intimacy and alienation, my creative team and I delved into the emotional and psychological landscape of Monica to reflect the precarious nature of self-identity when challenged by the need to survive and ultimately transform.”

Pallaoro, Lysette, and Clarkson’s presence at Redbird for the fundraiser not only added an immediacy and Hollywood magic to the event, but spoke volumes regarding their commitment to Monica and its message. “People get knocked out by this film,” Clarkson shares, “When people see it, they say, there’s nothing like this. I’ve seen all the films this season, I’ve been to all the screenings, and this film has hit me, in a way I didn’t expect, and it’s hit me the hardest.”

The wide appeal of Monica was palpable at Redbird’s event, as people enjoyed craft cocktails and handmade pizzas by Redbird and Vibiana’s owner and chef Neal Fraser. Founded in 2015, Redbird is no stranger to the film community – they’ve collaborated with Bridesmaids director Paul Feig’s gin brand Artingstall’s, hosted wrap parties for major television shows like “This is Us,” and one of their Vibiana event spaces was used as a shooting location in the Academy Award-winning film Everything, Everywhere, All at Once. 

“The film industry is a huge part of the creative community of our city,” says Amy Knoll Fraser, Owner and Operator of Redbird and Vibiana. “We have deep respect for the creative process and what it provides for people. We support it in every way we can.” 

In this instance, community was the catalyst for the event. “Our friends Robert Stark and Mara McCarthy of The Box Gallery introduced us to the film and asked if we would be interested in hosting a fundraiser for it at Redbird,” Knoll Fraser recounts, “Robert is a longtime friend of the writer/director Andrea Pallaoro and immediately recognized the potential for awards nominations when he saw the film.”

The campaign was further bolstered through an auction organized by The Box LA Gallery. Guests bid on prizes that ranged from dinner at Redbird with Monica creatives Trace Lysette and Andrea Pallaoro, Clarkson hosting drinks at her New York apartment, and a staggeringly impressive range of art from queer creators, which included jewelry from LA-based designer ONCH, along with artists Pau Pescador, Zackary Drucker, and Vijat Mohindra. At the conclusion of the evening, tens of thousands of dollars were raised to fund Monica’s award season push. 

“Me, Andrea, and Trace are so thankful, just so thankful,” says Clarkson, who often would hug the winning bidder of an item the night of auction. “It was a momentous night in Los Angeles.” 

Monica poster and stills courtesy of IFC Films.

Event photos by Sierra Prescott

Monica Trailer

Watch the trailer for the incredible transgender film, Monica, below!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=os8xbNzqA2I?si=QksTyNgz40tL9JKE&w=560&h=315

Learn how to watch and support the movie HERE.

MORE ABOUT REDBIRD

Chef Neal Fraser and Amy Knoll Fraser’s flagship restaurant Redbird features Modern American cuisine that is refined yet approachable and highlights the multi-cultural influences of Fraser’s native city. Located in downtown Los Angeles, Redbird is carved into one of the city’s most historic architectural gems, inside the former rectory building of Vibiana – the cathedral-turned-event-venue also owned and operated by the Frasers.

Visit their website HERE.