“Ponyboi” writer and star River Gallo encourages filmmakers not to shy away from the messiness of accurate representation, whether it be of someone from New Jersey or the deeper identities that intersect like Gallo’s.
The “Ponyboi” scribe unpacked the inspiration for their feature film and Sundance 2024 entry, which started out as a short film they also directed, in an interview at TheWrap’s Sundance Portrait and Interview Studio presented by NFP. The short premiered at Tribeca Film Festival in 2019 and the feature is helmed by director Esteban Arango.
“The movie really came from wanting to put pen to paper [about] my feelings about coming from New Jersey.