A legendary Drag King Night in New York is the point of departure for VENUS BOYZ, an odyssey to transgendered worlds, where women become men - some for a night, others for their whole lives. What motivates them? What changes take place? What defines gender? This eye opening film approaches some of these questions, while it surveys this largely unknown world.

The Drag Kings of New York meet in clubs where they change into their male alter egos, parodying male archetypes and power strategies while exploring male eroticism. The journey begins at the legendary Club Casanova, where Drag King history was written under the Master of Ceremonies Mo B. Dick. We meet Mildred, who works in an office during the day and spends her evenings as the sexy Dréd, mesmerizes her fans with her songs. She dreams of stardom and of meeting the great love of her life. And we come across scene pioneer Diane Torr, who lives with her 16-year-old daughter in New York. Long before it became trendy, she was one of the initiators of the King movement and has been giving performances and workshops for over two decades. We accompany Torr as she transforms into one of her masculine alter egos.

Del LaGrace Volcano (formerly Della Grace) lives in London, has personally experienced social prejudice against "MenWomen". He belongs to a group of transgendered men in London who are experimenting with testosterone, who also sometimes describe themselves as Cyborgs. They speak openly and directly about their experiences and yearnings. Del's path is an unusual one. He tries to lead a life between man and woman, and is constantly compelled to create new terms and new life situations. For the time being his friend Hans has chosen to continue his life for as a man. He found it too complicated to live somewhere between man and woman.

The film takes place within the framework of a Drag King night at the New York club Slipper Room, where Kings, Queens and the entire 'Kingdom' come together, dreaming of a time in which repressive sexual norms disappear.

"Examines masculinity as a performance, demonstrating that biology is not destiny."—The Village Voice

"An utterly fascinating, beautifully crafted exploration of the world of drag kings. [The film] profits greatly from a relaxed intimacy with its subjects who, being people that matter-of-factly flaunt a sexual duality, spend a lot of time discoursing on the nature of gender, performance, empowerment and social role-playing. Quietly resplendent... carefully composed and structured. "—Variety

"Mesmerizing! VENUS BOYZ challenges just about everything you always thought you knew about what it means to be a boy or a girl."—Time Out New York

"What is most interesting are (the Kings') observations... They all remark on the power aspect of cross-dressing, both how society treats them as perceived as men and how men act toward one another without women around. Also, they note, almost surprisingly, how women seem groomed to support men in society and not other women. Recommended!"—Library Journal

"Drag King culture...has to do with reinventing and rescripting, to some extent, gender norms. That's what I think Drag King culture is really good at, really good for."—Professor Judith Halberstam, University of California at San Diego, for Gender Theorist

"Flamboyant costumes and outre characterizations are the order of the day when drag kings congregate, but while the documentary serves up plenty of colorful preening, it also delves into the day-to-day existence of the drag king. Part PERRY MANN'S EXOTIC EROTIC BALL-style party vid, part documentary on life at the edges of society, this is recommended."—Video Librarian