Private Project

Stud Country

Stud Country, the largest queer country western line dancing event in America, was created to preserve Los Angeles' little known 50+ year queer line dancing tradition. Despite its success and fiercely committed community, the event is set to lose its venue due to gentrification.

  • Lina Abascal
    Director
  • Alexandra Kern
    Director
    Wild Magnolias
  • Lina Abascal
    Producer
  • Alexandra Kern
    Producer
    Wild Magnolias
  • Kenny Suleimanagich
    Director of Photography
  • Jill Sarao
    Editor
  • Zoe Lawrence Kraft
    Editor
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short
  • Genres:
    LGBTQ, Dance
  • Runtime:
    10 minutes 33 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    December 4, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    8,500 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital, RED
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Full Frame Documentary Film Festival
    Durham, North Carolina
    United States
    April 5, 2024
    World Premiere
    Jury Award Best Short
Director Biography - Lina Abascal, Alexandra Kern

Alexandra is a filmmaker whose work explores how we inform the next generation in our complex cultures. Growing up in New Orleans has taught her how crucial culture and art are in shaping future generations and how the family extends outside the home.

She has produced commercial and independent acclaimed projects for artists such as Tyler the Creator, Dua Lipa, Lil Nas X, and Kendrick Lamar. Her directorial debut, the short documentary Wild Magnolias, is currently on its festival circuit having screened at Oscar-qualifying festivals. The short was honored by a special screening at the New Orleans Jazz Museum where it was offered a permanent stay in their historical archive.

***

Lina Abascal is a culture journalist, bestselling author, and first-time filmmaker. Her writing has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal, WIRED, Billboard, VICE, Playboy, and more. She has consulted for brands including Spotify, Equinox, and Netflix for creative ad campaigns.

Her first book, Never Be Alone Again: How Bloghouse United the Internet and Dancefloor was a national bestseller and nominated for awards by the American Musicology Society and The Association for Recorded Sound.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

When journalist Lina Abascal came across Stud Country she partnered with Alexandra to bring the story of Stud Country to the screen through individuals that represent the old and new guard of queer country line dancing.

As a third-generation Los Angeleno, Lina is passionate about highlighting a part of the city's history that has never been documented. The story of Stud Country and the line dance events that preceded it is as much a story of queer community as it is of gentrification and loss of community spaces in Los Angeles.

In early interviews with Sean, one of the founders of Stud Country, he spoke about his initial skepticism to any press or filming of the event. He noted how easy it is for Stud Country to be misrepresented as novel and campy versus a profound space with a little known history.

While we hope the ephemeral feeling of dancing at Stud Country and the beautiful visuals hook audiences, our intention is to use the dance night as a vessel to discuss deeper themes about the importance of community spaces and rhythmic movement’s profound role in creating and sustaining communities. By using the impending closure of Club Bahia to structure our film and drive urgency, we hope to raise the stakes and establish conflict. This approach results in a quieter, darker, and more contemplative film than what some may expect from the log line.

The more introspective tone was also driven by the resources available to us as a self-funded project. We went into this project understanding that music licensing would be very difficult. Making a film about dance without limitless access to music is a huge challenge. Rather than being frustrated at these limitations, we used this constraint to shape our film.

Thank you for your time and consideration,

Lina and Alexandra