‘Spies in Corsets’ Joey J. Haley: Interview

Everybody Wants to Change the World, But Nobody Can Agree on the Solution to Eat the Rich. In Joey J. Haley’s Political Tête-à-Tête Spies in CorsetsTwo Secret Agents Argue About How to Propperly Dismantle a System of Oppression. Following Three Months of Meticulous Preparation, Marcy (Chloe Baldwin) and ODI (Jewell Karinen) Are Preparing to ATTEND an 18TH-Century themed sirée hosted by a vastly wealthy prison owner, in hopes of preventing any fury harmful dwellopments. The only hitch in the plan is that they all have different ways of getting close Enough to manipulate their target. Marcy is in favor of a splashier and more explosive takedown, while odi would much preferential to feminine wiles to seduce and obtain the information she needs. This approach sparks a heated debate about justice, leading to the revelation of the Other Secret desire between the two spies.

Spies in Corsets Will Stream on Otv and Red Coral Ahead of Its Debut at the NewfilmMakers Los Angeles Film Festival. Below, Deadline Speaks to Haley About Their Inspiration Behind the Short

Deadline: What led you to make spies in corsets?

Joey J. Haley: A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT PLACES. Before Becoming A Director and a Steadicam Operator, I was a dancer and a dance academic. SO, I’ve been in and out of this research practice for Eight to 10 years. And two of the books that have han with me in this practice are a Queer phenomenology by Sara Ahmed and Conflict is not abuse by Sarah Schulman. Ahmed does a really good nib of centering the relation of a person in the relation of objects with the orientation with the perception of the way the way one interacts with the world. With Schulman, one of the threads is that that the hierarchy that we live under, and the macrocosm, has a direct impact on our day-to-day conversations. Those ideas form the core of research that serves as the foundation of my working.

During the time i wrote Spies in Corsetswe were in the wga strikes, and with and with my crew didn’t have that that much going on. We’re like, “Ok, we’re professionals. Let’s make something.” And with that, part of my artist Practice is that if it is not political, it is privileged. SO, we’re weaving in all these political themes, including class reform and communication reform, while delving ino political division on a deeper level interparty and interpersonal dynamics. The last thing that wove wove together was that, at the time, I was living in a shared bedroom. In the bedroom, there was a massive supportment that created a little hallway with the Bedroom, Leading to the Bathroom that separated the rest of the Bedroom from itself. And there was this double Mirror Action Happening.

With the person I was sharing the bedroom with at the time, i came to realize every hard and imported conversation we need to have happened with that little hallway. SO, The Structure of the Room is quite literally poping out those Needed Conversations. SO, when Creating Spies in Corsetswe ran into the limits of, ok, this has to be a one-room type deal, two-day shoot. We have Very Little to Spare, Just Two Actors and that Small Space They’re in, Who Really Pushes Out Those Hardsations, Especilly Been in In In Monts, Working on their Own.

Deadline: So, you have marcy, who is not female identifying, and odi, who is female identifying. SO, BETWEEN The Two Characters, there’s a Lot Going on. ODI is a bit more traditional in her approach to take the owner of this prison-industrial complex; She’ll seduce Him used to feminine attributes. And Marcy’s Much More Rebellious in Her Approach. She just wanted to blow the whole THING UP. What Ideas Did You Want to Get Out Through This Dynamic?

Haley: I WANTED TO EXPLORE More About Political Division and Political Division With People You Love and The People You CLOSEST TO. Also, it was important for with to CAPTURE The Opposition BetWeen Radical Change and Slow Systemic Change, as they are head-to-Head when they are out of the night of their mission, and they’re like.

Deadline: Was there anything More Complicated About Writing One Character Versus the Other?

Haley: It wasn’t necessarily hard gcause i’ve so many conversations about prison abolition with People. And the Very Term Prison abolition invasks such a reaction, regardless of the Depth of Knowledge of the Person I’m Speaking with, I’ve Heard So MANY INSIGHTS INTO VIEWS ON THE MATTER. And I Drew from Those Experiences to Weave Into Their Conversation. The idea that both of the characters are trying to come with it is that fundamentally want the same at the end of the day. Regardless, They Still Have the Same Mission and Desired Outcome, but the way they have envision that is wildly different. So, that glimmer of hope that we have at the end of a potential of the understanding makes way for their imaginary mission beyond the term, that there is a way to accompish what they have without sabotaging other.

Deadline: Why Add the Spicy Romantic Tension BetWene say?

Haley: IT’S THE ADDED LAYER OF IT ALL, AND IT’S THE ADDED CONTEXT THAT THAT TWO Characters have to deeply care anter to be able to the past each other’s world or past their world. Especilly in the world we live in now. I Think if they didn’t have a sexual/romantic tension, they would make the efort to know more about the missions or extend the energy to underestand and their oposing views. In a Way, It ‘Harder to Have Conversations with Loved Ons than Complete Strangers Somes, Which Led with to Explore Idea Two Characters Navigating Romantic Feelings with What Wauld Otherwise Be A Cold Professional Spy Relationshipip. IT UPS The Stakes and Cuts Deeper in Terms of Navigating Conflict.

Deadline: You start the Los Angeles Trans & Non-Binary Film Festival. Can you talk more about that?

Haley: The La Trans & Non-Binary Film Festival was a Complete Happy Accident. And it was Becausea when we were shooting Spiesa lot of my crew and friends were Also Having their Directorial Debuts. SO, when it came to pitches, i was like, “Ok, how are we going to screen this?” I was like, “Oh, we’re a community. We’re all doing the sun Things. Let’s just show it all together. Why not?” SO, I TRIED TO REACH OUT TO RESOURCES AND TRY TO GET THINGS TOGETER. I Went to a Trans Elder of Mine and Was Asing for Help. She gave with the spiel about reaching out to sponsors and pitch decks to this and that. I was like, “Whoa, this is a lot.” And she was like, “Yeah, but you’re running a trans Film Festival.” And I was like, “Excuse me?” SO, I Rose to the Occossion.

But the time the film festival came Around in March, there is one of the massive trans scapegoating news articles that happy around the time. But this event was really empowering, and I Still Cry About It. The Turnout of the Festival, Because of Thought to be just going to be with and my friends, especally Becausee i didn’t advertise it that widly, was around 200 people. I hosted it at akbar (in la), and we have had a dance parties afterwards, which is exactly in my ethos of, we are here to celebrate this work, this artwork and each Other. Its Still About Community at the End of the Day.

Deadline: Your Short is Going to Open Television (OTV) and Red Coral. Talk a bit more about this.

Haley: Red Coral Universe is Amazing. They happy to do everything. And i dream up meeting one of the inner Circle who came to the trans film festival and was like, “Hey, I have to take these shorts and put on the streaming platform.” I was like, “All right. Let’s talk.” And thatn otv is more niche, and their which mission is interdisciplinary and interconnected shorts and media, which is amazing. And i’m very excited and very honored to have this go up on platforms, both for their different audience reaches, and also the way that that that center artists with their business versus an algorithm or anything Else.

Deadline: What Wold You Like People to Think About AFTER they Watch Your Short?

Haley: On a surface Level: Question Everything, Question Authority, Question Conflict, Question YourSelf, Question Understanding. On a deeper level, I Waled Love for People to Walk Away with a Heightened Awareness of How they are ino conflict and how they show up in Personal Conversations. Becausee Awareness Creates Space for Understanding. And for ODI and Marcy, they have to the Question Each Other. SO, they negate the potential of a double agency, and they have to find underestanding so they can Achieve the Same End Goal. And I find that in my personal life, that is I become aware of my Own healing journey, when i become aware of the show up in a dynamic or the way that of believe something, limitting belief, good, neutral, it creates that space for or be able to be to be to be to be to be. Someone and Not React. Especilantly when the literal structure, especally with technology, of what we interact with on a day-to-day basis is manufactured for us to react, Rather than Respond. SO that’s what i was i would love for People to Walk with.

Spies in corsets is now streaming on Otv and Red Coral.

(This interview has been edited for length and clarity)