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Alpha Kings

Directors

Enrique Pedráza-Botero, Faye Tsakas

Producers

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.

faye

Faye Tsakas

Co-Director, Alpha Kings

Faye Tsakas is a Greek-American filmmaker from New York City. She spent several years as a Film Executive, serving as VP of Development & Production for Los Angeles-based Passage Pictures in which 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 is a Features Programmer at Big Sky Documentary Film Festival and served on the jury of the Bushwick Film Festival in 2019. She has participated in the IFP Project Forum, the Hot Docs Project Forum, and the Sheffield Doc Fest project MeetMarket for several consecutive years. Faye received her BA in American Studies from Cornell University and is currently pursuing an MFA in Documentary Film & Video at Stanford University.

 

Faye’s documentary work explores the presentation of American culture in the context of rapid globalization and capitalism; she is drawn to observations of youth culture, excess, disparity, and absurdity. Faye’s work has been featured by Maryland Film Festival, Nowness, New Filmmakers NY, Vimeo Staff Picks, Paper Magazine, Boooooom.tv, The Film Shortage, and Maff.tv.

AlphaKings_E.Pedráza-Botero

Enrique Pedráza-Botero

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.