Yony Leyser’s work deals with race, gender identity, pop-culture and deviant social histories. The Chicago-raised writer, artist and filmmaker has shown in over 150 festivals, theatrically and on TV, throughout the world. His first short films were accepted to film festivals by the time Leyser was 18 years old, while his first feature-length William S. Burroughs: A Man Within (featuring Iggy Pop, Patti Smith, John Waters and Sonic Youth) was released to critical acclaim by the age of 24.

In 2010, Leyser relocated to Berlin, where his Jewish family was from, most of whom had perished during WWII. Before then, the city was a queer and alternative capital, its history inspiring his docufiction film, Desire Will Set You Free. Leyser’s most recent production, called Queercore, builds on these foundations with a more focused storytelling of the rebellious gay punk phenomenon.