{"id":809057,"date":"2026-08-10T14:52:18","date_gmt":"2026-08-10T14:52:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/809057\/"},"modified":"2026-08-10T14:52:18","modified_gmt":"2026-08-10T14:52:18","slug":"austin-filmmakers-queen-takes-bishop-explores-human-connection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/809057\/","title":{"rendered":"Austin filmmaker\u2019s \u2018Queen Takes Bishop\u2019 explores human connection"},"content":{"rendered":"

Imagine someone being so lonely that they hire a sex worker \u2014 not for intimacy, but simply to have someone to talk to.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the premise behind Austin director Wil Kelly\u2019s first feature film, Queen Takes Bishop, which premiers Sept. 12 at Hyperreal Film Club<\/a>. While the setup may seem provocative, Kelly said the film ultimately explores interpersonal relationships and vulnerability.<\/p>\n

“I think it’s about connection, despite extreme difficulty to connect, and people being so different, but still being able to love each other,\u201d Kelly said. \u201cNot in spite of, but because of those differences.”<\/p>\n

Leading the film are Darren Benjamin and Natalie Joy, whose performances anchor the emotional weight of the story. Through the characters\u2019 unlikely relationship, the film examines how two strangers can find understanding in unexpected circumstances, inviting audiences to question their assumptions about loneliness and empathy.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Courtesy of Queen Takes Bishop<\/p>\n

The film centers around a retired professor who hires a sex worker for companionship. <\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like there\u2019s a lot of universal, relatable things people can get from [the film],\u201d said Benjamin, who plays a retired professor desperate for connection. \u201cThings that may speak to a part they don\u2019t get to express much in society.\u201d<\/p>\n

Benjamin, who lives in Austin, said he joined the cast after cold-submitting his audition for the role, one of two in the whole movie. He said Kelly made the long filming process comfortable by having thoughtful discussions.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like the best art is created when people feel safe and nurtured, and that started from Wil on down,\u201d Benjamin said.<\/p>\n

Kelly relocated to Austin from Nashville about five years ago, bringing together a small film crew of longtime collaborators from both Tennessee and Texas to make Queen Takes Bishop. He also worked alongside executive producer Richard Linklater, founder of the Austin Film Society. The team booked a motel and a few other locations in Austin in 2022 and started filming. <\/p>\n

Kelly said he hopes viewers leave the theater reflecting on the film\u2019s bigger concepts.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhenever you can genuinely enter a space of questioning in a healthy and philosophical way that’s really rewarding,\u201d he said. \u201cInstead of just getting people into that space, if you can actually feel wonder, I think that\u2019s the goal.\u201d<\/p>\n

Though the film’s plot may be intricate, Kelly’s instructions for watching the film are simple. He just wants people “to have a good time and strap in for some dialogue.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Imagine someone being so lonely that they hire a sex worker \u2014 not for intimacy, but simply to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":809058,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[52],"tags":[343365,88,343366,21278,206,343367,36128,343369,343368],"class_list":["post-809057","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-movies","tag-austin-film-society","tag-entertainment","tag-hyperreal-film-club","tag-loneliness","tag-movies","tag-queen-takes-bishop","tag-richard-linklater","tag-sex-worker","tag-wil-kelly"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/809057","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=809057"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/809057\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/809058"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=809057"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=809057"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=809057"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}