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Alpha Kings

Directors

Enrique Pedráza-Botero, Faye Tsakas

Producer

Stefan Weinberger

Editors

Faye Tsakas, Enrique Pedráza-Botero

Cinematographers

Faye Tsakas, Enrique Pedráza-Botero

A group of young men in Montgomery, Texas forgo college to support themselves as “Masters” in the world of online Financial Domination, where thousands of paying clients consent to relinquishing control over their finances. Through the course of one night, the film alternates between the online world and observational moments, weaving between vignettes of virtual, live-streamed sessions, and cam shows in which anonymous participants engage in consensual erotic labor. Alpha Kings explores the dichotomy between these “Masters” and their true private selves, drawing on themes of desire, masculinity, sexuality, power, and performance. In a current social-political climate in which the American Dream seems far-fetched, the film’s subjects grapple with uncertainty about the future, their place in society, and the value of their work.

Director, Christmas, Every Day

Faye Tsakas is a Greek-American filmmaker from New York City. Her creative non-fiction work documents strains of contemporary American culture in the context of late-stage capitalism, looking at youth culture, excess, disparity and absurdity — shifting away from the patriarchal gaze. She was named one of Filmmaker Magazine’s 25 New Faces of Independent Cinema in 2023. Her films have screened at SXSW, IFFR, AFI Fest, True/False Film Festival, Camden Film Festival, DC/DOX, IndieLisboa, Maryland Film Festival, AIFVF, and Museum of the Moving Image, among others. Her work has been distributed and featured by The New Yorker, Vimeo Staff Picks, Paper Magazine, and Nowness. Faye was a Film Independent Fast Track Producing Fellow in 2023, and she previously served as VP Production for Los Angeles based Passage Pictures, where she oversaw development for the company alongside its CEO. She was Director of Acquisitions & Production for independent Film & Television distribution company FilmRise where she championed the release of award winning documentary and narrative films, including Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner The Miseducation of Cameron Post. Faye received her BA in American Studies from Cornell University and an MFA in Documentary Film & Video at Stanford University. She is represented for Film & Television by Cinetic Media.

Co-Director, Alpha Kings

Enrique is a visual artist and filmmaker from Bogotá, Colombia. He served as Manager of Sundance Institute’s Documentary Film Program for five years, running creative labs and international programs, as well as contributing to awarding $1-2 million/year in unrestricted grants to documentary filmmakers globally. He was Senior Programmer for Ambulante Documentary Film Festival and has worked with other arts organizations such as Film Independent. Throughout his career, Enrique has served as a consultant and Juror in numerous selection committees for nonprofit institutions and media funds in the U.S. and Latin America, including Sundance’s Documentary Fund, Proimagenes Colombia, IMCINE Mexico, John Hopkins’ Saul Zaentz Innovation Fund, Concordia’s Fellowship Program, and Brown Girls Doc Mafia. Enrique holds a BFA in Film & Television from the New York Film Academy and is currently pursuing an MFA in Documentary Film & Video at Stanford University.

 

His work focuses on identity, memory, and the complexity of home, aiming to break conventions of masculinity and sexuality. He’s interested in the evolution of the documentary form at the intersection of socially-conscious work and the art of filmmaking.