New York on Film: “P.S. Burn This Letter Please”

On June 11, join the Downtown Alliance for a special screening of followed by a talkback with co-director Jennifer Tiexiera and executive producers Craig Olsen and Richard Konigsberg.

Hailed as “a revelatory portrait of pre-Stonewall drag culture” (The Hollywood Reporter), “P.S. Burn This Letter Please” uncovers a hidden chapter of LGBTQ+ history through a series of deeply personal letters discovered in a New York storage unit. Written in the 1950s by a group of drag performers and gay men to their friend Reno Martin, the letters offer candid and often funny reflections on life, love and identity during an era when being openly queer could mean arrest, ostracization or worse.

Through never-before-seen archival footage, dazzling photos and heartfelt voiceovers from a stellar cast that includes Michael Urie, Peter Paige and Drag Race favorite Shangela, the film brings these vibrant personalities and their stories to life. “P.S. Burn This Letter Please” is a celebration of resilience, friendship and self-expression in the face of societal repression.

Following the screening, Tiexiera, Olsen and Konigsberg will discuss the origins of the project, the painstaking archival process and the importance of amplifying voices from queer history that have long been overlooked.

Don’t miss this powerful and moving tribute to the untold stories that helped shape New York’s LGBTQ+ legacy.

Tickets are $5 and include popcorn and a drink. Proceeds will be donated to the Edward F. Limato Foundation.

Please note that seating is not assigned and seats will be chosen on a first come, first served basis.

Jennifer Tiexiera, Co-Director | Producer | Editor
Jen Tiexiera is a storyteller who believes that more voices equal a better story. When everyone is represented, storytelling benefits. She most recently won the TriBeCa Film Festival Award for Best Editor for the film 17 BLOCKS. She also produced and edited ZIKR: A SUFI REVIVAL and THE DAY THE WORLD CHANGED, official selections of the 2018 Sundance Film Festival and 2018 TriBeCa Film Festival respectively. In 2017, she produced and edited the documentaries, A SUITABLE GIRL, winner of the Albert Maysles Award at the TriBeCa Film Festival and WAITING FOR HASSANA, official selection of the Sundance, SXSW, and Toronto Film Festivals. She edited THE LAST GOODBYE which made its debut at the 2017 TriBeCa Film Festival, internationally at the 2017 Venice International Film Festival, and won the 2018 Lumiere Award for Best VR Documentary. Her previous work also includes the documentary, SALAM NEIGHBOR, narrative film, ROAD TO PALOMA and the 2011 SXSW Documentary Grand Jury Winner, DRAGONSLAYER. P.S. BURN THIS LETTER PLEASE is her directorial debut.

Craig Olsen, Producer

Craig Olsen is an entrepreneur in art, production and interior design. A graduate from Cornish College of the Arts with a BFA in Theatre, Craig can be seen on film as well as numerous network and cable television series, most notably in drag and transgender roles. The LA Times declared him, “A Must See Tour de Force!” Craig produced and starred in the long running podcast, “The Craig and Robbie Hour” on Global Voice Broadcasting and is currently producing and starring in the theatrical play MY GARDEN IN HELL by playwright Billy Wiener as legendary icon Diana Vreeland. Craig currently sits as Chairman of the Board for Los Angeles’ premier contemporary ballet company Barak Ballet and is a trustee of the Edward F. Limato Foundation. After discovering a cache of personal letters by prominent drag performers in 1950s New York City, Mr. Olsen embarked on what has now become a 5 year journey to preserve and illuminate the courage of those that have set the stage for the current success of the LGBTQ+ community. Craig is directing his future focus toward preserving gay history through philanthropy and educational outreach.

Richard Konigsberg, Executive Producer

As the youngest of three boys, Richard Konigsberg has been managing expectations from his earliest beginnings. Richard was born and raised in New Rochelle, NY, where he remained until the age of 18 when he enrolled at George Washington University in Washington D.C. As the son of a NYC Certified Public Accountant, Richard followed in his father’s footsteps and received his BA in Business Administration with a Major concentration in Personal Finance. Though finance came naturally to Richard, it was his true passion for entertainment and Hollywood talent that lead him to intern for legendary agent Sam Cohn in the summer of his Junior year at GWU. After that summer, Richard knew that he could successfully combine his love of entertainment and his talent with finance in a career in management and applied for a position in the agent training program at the Los Angeles offices of International Creative Management. He was accepted in May of 1988 and had established his new home in Los Angeles by August of the same year. Konigsberg soon found himself in the mail room of ICM learning the names and faces of all the of the major players in Hollywood. It was only a few months later at the company Holiday party in Beverly Hills that Konigsberg would meet the man who would become his best friend and mentor, Edward F. Limato. Not long after that fateful introduction, Richard became Ed’s assistant and worked for him for many years. Eventually, Richard was promoted to an agent at ICM where he represented several major actors in Television and Film. After a lengthy legal battle, where Limato sued ICM to be let out out of his contract, Konigsberg left ICM to start his own business, and in 2008 started RKM where he still works today. Richard and Ed remained friends until his death in July of 2010. Richard is excited to continue the legacy and memory of Ed Limato by establishing The Edward F. Limato Foundation. Richard is honored to have been a part of Ed’s life and shared in his experiences and hopes that through the foundation those who did not know Ed get to know the man behind the stars and share in the journey of his legacy and light.

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