PEACHES GOES BANANAS

Marie Losier | Belgium, France | 2024 | 73’ | OmeU

For 17 years, she accompanied the pioneering queer-feminist icon »Peaches« on film. The result is an intimate portrait of the inspiring artist who breaks many taboos. Peaches’ electrifying concerts, her close bond with her family, her energy and her fearless exploration on and off stage seem to transform every phase of her life into a captivating work of art. Using exclusive private archive footage and spectacular footage of her performances, the film charts Canadian Merrill Nisker’s journey to becoming the internationally acclaimed artist Peaches. As a feminist musician, producer, director and performance artist, »Peaches« has dedicated over two decades to fighting gender stereotypes and cementing her status as an icon of the pop and music industry. Her fearless originality challenges social norms, shattering stereotypes and patriarchal power structures. With biting humor and sharp wit, she champions LGBTQIA+ rights, brings gender and sexual identity issues into focus and leaves a lasting impression on pop culture.

»In »Peaches Goes Bananas«, I have created a portrait of a woman and, more importantly, an artist with whom I identify on several levels. Beyond my fifties, I can feel my body changing. And yet there is this need to keep creating and experimenting, more than ever, as with the younger generation. In 2006, during the filming of The Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye, I met Peaches by chance. That was the beginning of 17 years of filming and our friendship. Over the years, an intimate portrait of Peaches on and off the stage emerged. The footage reveals the creative process of this artist, a transgressive queer icon, an uncompromising feminist, a woman in constant change. I am moved by her perseverance and her tireless energy to experiment and place her body at the center of her art with great beauty and freedom. Peaches is constantly questioning and redefining the boundaries of her identity. Her work is engaging, rebellious and playful and has an unashamed, bold power. The need to experiment, to reinvent oneself, the need to live fully and freely and to confront norms and hostilities by loving, dancing and creating is at the heart of my work.« (Marie Losier, translated with deepl by UNERHÖRT!)