CAST
Maija Di Giorgio, George Carlin, Kenneth R. Simmons, Chevy Chase, Whoopi Goldberg, Bill Maher, Phyllis Diller, Kevin James, Dave Chapelle, Joy Behar, Lewis Black, Peter Boyle, Norm Crosby, Susie Essman, Rachel Feinstein, Judah Friedlander, Godfrey, Gilbert Gottfried, DL Hughley, Eddie Ifft, Dom Irrera, Terry Jones, Richard Kind, Robert Klein, Lisa Lampanelli, Heather McConnell, Colin Mochrie, Paul Mooney, Jim Norton, Colin Quinn, Tony Rock, Ray Romano, Jeff Ross, Rita Rudner, Chris Titus and more..
THE TRAILER
SYNOPSIS
Hollywood Outlaw: The Unmaking of a Bitter Jester is the raw, true story of comedian Maija DiGiorgio’s meteoric rise and tumultuous battle for creative integrity in the cutthroat world of comedy. With mentors like Dave Chappelle and Russell Simmons, Maija blazed a trail from New York’s comedy clubs to TV shows and the prestigious HBO Aspen Comedy Festival. But when Hollywood tried to pigeonhole her with stereotypes, she walked away from it all.
The film follows Maija’s journey to find her authentic voice, featuring candid interviews with comedy legends like George Carlin, Richard Pryor, and Whoopi Goldberg. But the real drama unfolds after the cameras stop rolling. “Bitter Jester” earns rave reviews, but Maija and her team lose control of the film in a classic David vs. Goliath battle. The ensuing 3-year fight is a testament to one artist’s refusal to compromise and a powerful exploration of self-discovery. In the end, Maija learns that staying true to herself is worth more than any fleeting success.
REVIEWS
“Making a movie without really knowing what it’s going to be about is not generally advisable, but Maija Di Giorgio’s Bitter Jester makes that process quite entertaining…Jester is often hilarious and always diverting…whole package is a resourceful font of ideas, with no end of visual/editorial gambits (including split screen images) and witty sound tracked music choices. Di Giorgio may fret that ‘Maybe comedy isn’t the thing I should be pursuing.’ Regardless, she definitely has a future as a filmmaker.”
“Insightful and Surprising”
“The best film ever made on the business of stand up comedy! An important film where many celebrities reveal themselves to be assholes!”
