Alok Vaid-MenonEgg Pictures

EXCLUSIVE: Emmy-winning producer and film exec Ryan Harrington has signed on as an executive producer of ALOK, the Oscar-contending short film directed by Alex Hedison that won the Audience Award at NewFest earlier this month.

Harrington, whose credits include Feras Fayyad’s film The Cave and the IDA Award-winning film A Place at the Table, joins Jodie Foster as a fellow EP of ALOK, which centers on the gender non-confirming writer, humanist and media personality Alok Vaid-Menon.

For an exclusive look at the documentary, watch the clip below.

“Filmmaker Alex Hedison (she/they) delivers a compelling portrait of her friend, Alok Vaid-Menon (they/them), the internationally acclaimed, non-binary, author, poet, comedian, and public speaker,” notes a release about the film. “This thought-provoking short documentary explores the limitless expression of self, challenges societal norms, and inspires viewers to embrace personal freedom beyond the binaries that divide us.”

Harrington said in a statement, “The moment I heard about this film I immediately knew I wanted to be a part of it. At this time in our country – and the world – lifting up a voice that promotes love and acceptance is so vital, and I am thrilled to be part of bringing Alok’s story to as many people as possible.”

Foster, the two-time Oscar winner who is married to Hedison, added, “We always hoped this film would meet the moment in culture and political conversations, and given how polarized we seem right now, the timing could not be more crucial. This film is about ideas and thought starters to create transformation and to plant the seeds of change for a more inclusive world. In the end, this was a project of love for the entire film team – and we hope it inspires love in others.”

Egg Pictures

Alok, a poet, comedian, actor, and public speaker “whose work explores themes of trauma, belonging, and the human condition,” is the author of Femme in Public (2017), Beyond the Gender Binary (2020), and Your Wound/My Garden (2021) and the creator of #DeGenderFashion: an initiative to de-gender fashion and beauty industries.

“Alok’s multidimensional influence – which spans academia, art, poetry, and comedy – inspired the making of this film – my first short documentary,” Hedison observed. “My aim with this film is to present a world of possibility that they demonstrate while asking the questions: How do we wake up? How do we mirror compassion for ourselves and those around us as a way of breaking out of the circuitry of violence? How can we move beyond the binaries and embrace the simultaneity of everything existing and changing at once?”

L-R: ‘ALOK’ executive producer Jodie Foster, subject Alok Vaid-Menon and director Alex HedisonMichael Buckner/Deadline

ALOK premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January and screened in competition on Tuesday at the SCAD Savannah Film Festival in Georgia. Producers of the film are Hedison, Natalie Shirinian, Elizabeth Baudouin, and Meggan Lennon. ALOK features a score by Craig Wedren (Yellowjackets) and Simón Wilson and an end credits song, “Justice to a Scream,” written and performed by Wedren and Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes), featuring Alok’s poetry and lines from the film.

The film team has launched a website where groups can request free educational screenings. Click here for information.

Watch an exclusive from ALOK below.