Mary of Ill Fame

A fictional story inspired by a newspaper clipping from the 1830s about a trans woman named Mary Jones who was arrested for stealing a man’s wallet. The film is set in Seneca Village, an autonomous settlement of free Blacks and Irish immigrants located on what is known today as Central Park where Jones, a gifted conjurer who can see visions of future events and alter reality with her well crafted spells, fends off the white city officials who want to take control of the land she and her community call home. Here, Tourmaline answers the call of “critical fabulation” theorized by the influential historian Saidiya Hartman, inventing the narrative that doesn’t exist in the historical archive for Jones.

Director: Tourmaline
Runtime: 17 min

Cast

Screenplay

Original Language: en
More Films by Director: Tourmaline

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Mary of Ill Fame about?
A fictional story inspired by a newspaper clipping from the 1830s about a trans woman named Mary Jones who was arrested for stealing a man’s wallet. The film is set in Seneca Village, an autonomous settlement of free Blacks and Irish immigrants located on what is known today as Central Park where Jones, a gifted conjurer who can see visions of future events and alter reality with her well crafted spells, fends off the white city officials who want to take control of the land she and her community call home. Here, Tourmaline answers the call of “critical fabulation” theorized by the influential historian Saidiya Hartman, inventing the narrative that doesn’t exist in the historical archive for Jones.
Who directed Mary of Ill Fame?
Mary of Ill Fame was directed by Tourmaline.
Who stars in Mary of Ill Fame?
Mary of Ill Fame stars Rowin Amone, Christopher Murray, Eva Reign.
How long is Mary of Ill Fame?
Mary of Ill Fame has a runtime of 17m (17 minutes).