Author: The JT LeRoy Story — Trailer

added: Mon, Jul 18th '16

Was it a carefully orchestrated hoax or a provocative statement on the gullibility of the publishing and art world?

Documentary filmmaker Jeff Feuerzeig (The Devil and Daniel Johnston) chronicles the 2006 revelation of literary sensation JT LeRoy, a supposedly son of a truck-stop prostitute and an ex-drug addicted teen who became somewhat of a cult superstar in the early 2000s when his best-selling biographical book turned out to be a favorite among big-name actors and rock stars.

But it wasn't until a 2006 New York Times article that fans finally knew the truth about the wunderkind novelist: He was, in actuality, a fictional character entirely made up by 40-year-old housewife-turned-writer Laura Albert.

Acquired by Amazon Studios after it premiered at this year's Sundance Film Festival, "Author: The JT LeRoy Story" is produced by Brett Ratner, and will be coming to select theaters on September 9th. Watch the trailer, above.

synopsis:
In 2006, The New York Times sent shockwaves through the literary world when it unmasked "it boy" wunderkind JT LeRoy, whose tough prose about a sordid childhood had captivated icons and luminaries internationally. It turned out LeRoy didn’t actually exist. He was the creative expression of 40-year-old San Francisco former phone-sex operator turned housewife, Laura Albert. From the director of The Devil and Daniel Johnston, Author: The JT LeRoy Story takes us down the infinitely fascinating rabbit hole of how Laura Albert -- like a Cyrano de Bergerac on steroids -- breathed not only words, but life, into her avatar for a decade. Her epic and entertaining account plunges us into a glittery world of rock shows and fashion events, ultimately revealing that channeling her brilliant fiction through another identity was the only possible path to self-expression.

directed by Jeff Feuerzeig

release date September 9, 2016