Directed by Liz Nistico
The life of a drag queen from the glitz and glam on stage to the real-life grit of NYC. The film highlights the cherished artistic connection between a son and his father.
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Director Biography – Liz Nistico
Elizabeth Nistico’s most recent music, video, and art project is Revenge Wife. She is former lead singer and cofounder of indie pop band, HOLYCHILD. To date, HOLYCHILD boasts over 30 million streams on Spotify and 5 million streams on Youtube. Nistico has directed more than 40 music videos for HOLYCHILD and other artists. She has also co-written songs for other artists including “Xanax Damage” by Future. She has sync deals with Apple and Old Navy, to name a couple brands. She has toured with Passion Pit, Walk The Moon, and MØ. Her video has been featured at MOMA. Nistico has been featured in Vogue, NYLON, Paper Mag, Billboard, NME, Huff Post, Spin, EW, and Earmilk. Elizabeth was also a contributor for V Magazine.
Director Statement
Generations in Time is a short film that I directed based on my relationship with Sam Schall, my best friend, star of the short, and son of the composer. I’ve watched Sam find himself as an artist over the course of our 14 year friendship, and I wanted to show him in a realistic light.
The piece starts out as a gay creation myth modern ballet. It starts in heaven then there’s the Big Bang and eventually Eve (played by Sam) appears. Not only did I want to re-write the narrative so that trauma, pain and mistakes can lead to triumph, but I also see this aspect of the film as a parallel to Sam’s life. Having recently found drag after years of searching for artistic purpose.
In Act II I followed Sam for 6 days in New York. I wanted to show his depression, his happiness and the grit of life as an artist in the big City.
In Act III, I arranged for Sam and his father (iconic artist/composer and creator of the soundtrack, Gary Schall) to have a surprise shared experience to capture their true reactions together.
Life feels hard but there are moments of beauty that we can find in creating art and in our relationships. Maybe it doesn’t have to be a struggle anymore.
To me, art and relationships are the essence of life on earth. Making art with those you love, making art about those you love. When Gary (again, the incredible composer of this piece) was diagnosed with cancer last year it put everything into perspective in a new way for us. How do we want to spend our time here? What do we want to be doing? Generations in Time is triumphant and sweet and sad and happy. I hope you enjoy it.
LGBTQ+ Toronto Film Festival 
