Translate presents: The People’s Joker15

Directed by Vera Drew | USA | 2022 | 1h 32m | Starring Vera Drew, Lynn Downey, Tim Heidecker, Bob Odenkirk, David Liebe Hart, Phil Braun

In a dystopian Gotham City where comedy is outlawed, Joker the Harlequin, a painfully unfunny aspiring clown, struggles with her gender identity while chasing a spot on a government-approved late-night sketch show. As mainstream success remains out of reach, she bands together with a group of comedy outcasts, setting her on a collision course with the city’s fascist caped crusader. Subjected to studio pressure both before and after its 2022 premiere, including canceled screenings over trademark disputes, Vera Drew’s absurdist, autobiographical comedy is poised to become a defiant queer cult classic.

Reviews

‘A true original – Vera Drew is a superstar in the making. Takes on many targets, and nails each and every god damn one of them. You have to see it to believe it’
★★★★★
Violet Lucca, Little White Lies

‘Unlike many comedies — alternative and mainstream — The People’s Joker is not so in love with its own satire to rob it of any emotional truth. Underneath the satirical madness lies a genuinely moving story of self-acceptance.’
★★★★
Jude Dry, IndieWire

Translate is a monthly evening social for the Trans, Non-binary, and Queer communities in Oxford, where people can come together, make new friends, relax and have fun! Translate takes place at the Jolly Farmers every 4th Thursday of the month.

Sorry - you missed it!

We showed Translate presents: The People’s Joker between March 26, 2025 and March 26, 2025.

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What else is on?

Today (Monday 2nd June)

18:30

Maisie 15
1h 16m
At 85, Britain’s oldest drag queen Maisie Trollette is still stealing the show! But what happens when she meets Darcelle XV, the world’s reigning queen? Join us for this hilarious and heartfelt documentary presented by Oxford Pride.

Book here

20:45

Good One 15
1h 30m
On a three-day backpacking trip, 17-year-old Sam navigates the tense dynamics between her father and his oldest friend. When boundaries are crossed and trust is broken, simmering conflicts erupt in India Donaldson's perceptive debut.

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Tomorrow (Tuesday 3rd June)

18:00

Motel Destino 18
£6 for Members
1h 55m | Portuguese w/ English subtitles
At a neon-lit sex motel, a young fugitive’s arrival sparks a dangerous spiral of seduction, violence, and power. Award-winning filmmaker Karim Aïnouz (The Invisible Life of Eurídice Gusmão) returns with this erotic neo-noir set under the scorching blue skies of Brazil.

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20:30

Cemetery of Splendor 12A
£6 for Members
2h 1m | Thai w/ English subtitles
A mysterious sleeping illness affects Thai soldiers in a former school turned clinic. As a volunteer forms bonds with the comatose and the spiritual world, Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s hypnotic film explores dreams, memory, and history with quiet surrealism.

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Plan your visit

Our beautiful art deco inspired auditorium can be found just off East Oxford's Cowley Road. We are open 7 days a week. We open the cinema and box office 30 minutes before the scheduled start time of each film, and the Box Office then closes 10 minutes after the film starts. We don’t show adverts, just a couple of trailers, so don't be late as the film itself starts very close to the advertised time!