Author: The JT LeRoy Story

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Author: The JT LeRoy Story
Directed by Jeff Feuerzeig
Written byJeff Feuerzeig
Produced by
Starring Laura Albert
CinematographyRichard Henkels
Edited byMichelle M. Witten
Music by Walter Werzowa
Production
companies
Distributed by Amazon Studios
Magnolia Pictures
Release dates
Running time
110 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$96,604 (Worldwide) [1]

Author: The JT LeRoy Story is a 2016 American documentary film about American writer Laura Albert and her literary persona JT LeRoy. [2] It examines the critical acclaim given the JT LeRoy books and their international popularity, and the subsequent scandal when it was revealed that LeRoy did not exist and Albert had written the books. Jeff Feuerzeig, the film's writer/director, told Kevin Lally of Film Journal International, “I thought it was the wildest story about story I had ever heard,” and noted, “one voice glaringly missing from all these accounts [was] the voice of the author of the fiction on and off the page, Laura Albert. She had held her story back, and I said: Wow! That’s the voice I would like to hear.” [3]

Contents

The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2016. [4]

Reception

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 77% based on 92 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads, "Author: The JT LeRoy Story serves as a worthy primer on its fascinating subject as well as an insightful look at the ever-evolving nature of modern celebrity." [5] On Metacritic the film has a score of 72 out of 100, based on reviews from 24 critics. [6]

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryRecipient(s)ResultRef.
2017 Cinema Eye Honors The Unforgettables Laura Albert Won [7]
Outstanding Achievement in Graphic Design or AnimationAna Gomez Bernaus, Syd Garon and Chris KirkNominated [8]
Writers Guild of America Best Documentary Screenplay Jeff Feuerzeig Nominated [9]
2016 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize: DocumentaryNominated [10]
DocAviv The International CompetitionNominated
Champs-Élysées Film Festival Prix du juryNominated [11]

Related Research Articles

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Jeremiah Terminator LeRoy, or simply JT LeRoy is a literary persona created in the 1990s by American writer Laura Albert. LeRoy was presented as the author of three books of fiction, which were purportedly semi-autobiographical accounts by a teenage boy of his experiences of poverty, drug use, and emotional and sexual abuse in his childhood and adolescence from rural West Virginia to California. Albert wrote these works, and communicated with people in the persona of LeRoy via phone and e-mail. Following the release of the first novel Sarah, Albert's sibling-in-law Savannah Knoop began to make public appearances as the supposed writer. The works attracted considerable literary and celebrity attention, and the authenticity of LeRoy has been a subject of debate, even as details of the creation came to light in the 2000s.

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References

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  2. "The Documentary Author: The JT LeRoy Story Is As Riveting As the Events That Inspired It". vulture.com. Retrieved 2023-02-09.
  3. "LeRoy Was Here: Jeff Feuerzeig's 'Author' tells the untold story of a literary scandal". fj.webedia.us. Retrieved 2023-02-09.
  4. "Sundance 2016: 'Author: The JT Leroy Story' turns a forgotten controversy into a thrilling exploration". latimes.com. Retrieved 2023-02-09.
  5. "AUTHOR: THE JT LEROY STORY". rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 2023-02-09.
  6. "Author: The JT LeRoy Story". metacritic.com. Retrieved 2023-02-09.
  7. "The Year's Most Unforgettable Documentary Subjects". filmmakermagazine.com. Retrieved 2023-02-09.
  8. "Cinema Eye Honors 2017 Winners List: 'Cameraperson' and 'O.J.: Made in America' Lead Awards". indiewire.com. Retrieved 2023-02-09.
  9. "'La La Land,' 'Moonlight' Among WGA Theatrical Screenplay Nominations; 'Westworld,' 'Stranger Things' Lead TV Noms". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved 2023-02-09.
  10. "The Complete List of Movies Sold at Sundance 2016, and Why Amazon and Netflix Went All Out". vulture.com. Retrieved 2023-02-09.
  11. "Champs-Elysees Film Fest Bolsters Connection Between France and the U.S." variety.com. Retrieved 2023-02-09.