Alpha Kings
Short | Nonfiction | 15’ | 2023 | U.S.A | Digital
The New Yorker Documentary
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Streaming now on The New Yorker and YouTube.
Find the film on Letterboxd
From a rented mansion in the suburbs of Houston, Texas, a group of young men sell a hyperbolic, alpha-male version of themselves on the internet.
These “Masters” forgo college to support themselves in the world of online Financial Domination, where thousands of paying clients consent to relinquishing control over their finances. Through the course of one night, the film alternates between vignettes of virtual, live-streamed sessions, and cam shows in which anonymous participants engage in consensual erotic labor. Alpha Kings explores the dichotomy between these “Masters” and their true private selves, drawing on themes of desire, masculinity, sexuality, power, and performance. In a current social-political climate in which the American Dream seems far-fetched, the film’s subjects grapple with uncertainty about the future, their place in society, and the value of their work.
Awards & Selections
International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) 2023 (World Premiere)
AFI Fest, 2023 (Grand Jury Prize, Special Mention for Social Commentary)
Kurzfilm Festival Hamburg, 2023 (Grand Jury Prize, Best Short)
Venice Film Week, 2023 (Best Documentary Short)
Drunken Film Fest, Oakland, 2023 (Best Documentary Short)
Chicago Underground Film Festival, 2023 (Honorable Mention)
Best of NFMLA, 2024 (Best Documentary Short, Nominee)
True/False Film Festival, 2023
Festival du Nouveau Cinéma, 2023
Camden International Film Festival, 2023
Rooftop Film Series, 2023
Palm Springs ShortFest, 2023
Museum of the Moving Image, New Adventures in Nonfiction, 2023
Metrograph: Highlights from Filmmaker Magazine's 25 New Faces, 2023
Athens International Film and Video Festival, 2023
IndieLisboa International Film Festival, 2023
Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterhur, 2023
Bogotá Short Film Festival (BOGOSHORTS), 2023
Cinemateca de Bogotá, Special Programs, 2023
London Short Film Festival, 2023
DC/DOX, 2023
Winnipeg Underground Film Festival, 2023
Festival Internacional de Cortometrajes de Buenos Aires, 2023
Tabor Film Festival, 2023
New/Next Film Festival, 2023
Rockaway Film Festival, 2023
Les Mains Gauches, 2023
Film Fest Gent, 2023
Kurzfilmfestival Köln, 2023
Nashville International Film Festival, 2023
Denver Film Festival, 2023
International Film Festival of Valladolid (Seminci), 2023
Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Market Picks, 2023
NewFilmmakers LA, 2023
NewFilmmakers NY, 2024
Brussels Porn Film Festival, 2024
FIPADOC, 2024
Pragueshorts Film Festival, 2024
DIZZY TV, Screening Series, 2024
The Segal Center: Unapologetic Humanity and Unapologetic Accountability, 2024
Nitehawk Cinema, New York, 2024
Hong Kong Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, 2024
My Film Ideology Screening Series, China, 2024
The Smalls Film Festival, 2024
SK Stiftung Kultur, Filmhaus Cologne, 2024
Special Programme “Beyond the Frame”, Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterhur, 2025
Film Kunst Festival, 2024
A film by
Enrique Pedráza-Botero & Faye Tsakas
Featuring
Master Dax
Master Hercules
Master Robert
King Jess
Jolie Daspit
Skylar Breann
Consulting Producer
Stefan Weinberger
Production Assistant
Jolie Daspit
Technical Support
Srđan Keča
Frank Floyd
Sound Mix
Dan Olmsted
Color Grading
Robert Arnold
Post Sound Assistance
Sruti Visweswaran
Faculty Advisor
Jamie Meltzer
Made with the support of:
Pacific Pioneer Fund
Produced in the Documentary Film M.F.A. Program
Department of Art & Art History
Stanford University
The New Yorker Documentary
![Alpha Kings]()
Short | Nonfiction | 15’ | 2023 | U.S.A | Digital
The New Yorker Documentary
Streaming now on The New Yorker and YouTube. Find the film on Letterboxd
From a rented mansion in the suburbs of Houston, Texas, a group of young men sell a hyperbolic, alpha-male version of themselves on the internet.
These “Masters” forgo college to support themselves in the world of online Financial Domination, where thousands of paying clients consent to relinquishing control over their finances. Through the course of one night, the film alternates between vignettes of virtual, live-streamed sessions, and cam shows in which anonymous participants engage in consensual erotic labor. Alpha Kings explores the dichotomy between these “Masters” and their true private selves, drawing on themes of desire, masculinity, sexuality, power, and performance. In a current social-political climate in which the American Dream seems far-fetched, the film’s subjects grapple with uncertainty about the future, their place in society, and the value of their work.
Awards & Selections
International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) 2023 (World Premiere)
AFI Fest, 2023 (Grand Jury Prize, Special Mention for Social Commentary)
Kurzfilm Festival Hamburg, 2023 (Grand Jury Prize, Best Short)
Venice Film Week, 2023 (Best Documentary Short)
Drunken Film Fest, Oakland, 2023 (Best Documentary Short)
Chicago Underground Film Festival, 2023 (Honorable Mention)
Best of NFMLA, 2024 (Best Documentary Short, Nominee)
True/False Film Festival, 2023
Festival du Nouveau Cinéma, 2023
Camden International Film Festival, 2023
Rooftop Film Series, 2023
Palm Springs ShortFest, 2023
Museum of the Moving Image, New Adventures in Nonfiction, 2023
Metrograph: Highlights from Filmmaker Magazine's 25 New Faces, 2023
Athens International Film and Video Festival, 2023
IndieLisboa International Film Festival, 2023
Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterhur, 2023
Bogotá Short Film Festival (BOGOSHORTS), 2023
Cinemateca de Bogotá, Special Programs, 2023
London Short Film Festival, 2023
DC/DOX, 2023
Winnipeg Underground Film Festival, 2023
Festival Internacional de Cortometrajes de Buenos Aires, 2023
Tabor Film Festival, 2023
New/Next Film Festival, 2023
Rockaway Film Festival, 2023
Les Mains Gauches, 2023
Film Fest Gent, 2023
Kurzfilmfestival Köln, 2023
Nashville International Film Festival, 2023
Denver Film Festival, 2023
International Film Festival of Valladolid (Seminci), 2023
Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Market Picks, 2023
NewFilmmakers LA, 2023
NewFilmmakers NY, 2024
Brussels Porn Film Festival, 2024
FIPADOC, 2024
Pragueshorts Film Festival, 2024
DIZZY TV, Screening Series, 2024
The Segal Center: Unapologetic Humanity and Unapologetic Accountability, 2024
Nitehawk Cinema, New York, 2024
Hong Kong Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, 2024
My Film Ideology Screening Series, China, 2024
The Smalls Film Festival, 2024
SK Stiftung Kultur, Filmhaus Cologne, 2024
Special Programme “Beyond the Frame”, Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterhur, 2025
Film Kunst Festival, 2024
A film by
Enrique Pedráza-Botero & Faye Tsakas
Featuring
Master Dax
Master Hercules
Master Robert
King Jess
Jolie Daspit
Skylar Breann
Consulting Producer
Stefan Weinberger
Production Assistant
Jolie Daspit
Technical Support
Srđan Keča
Frank Floyd
Sound Mix
Dan Olmsted
Color Grading
Robert Arnold
Post Sound Assistance
Sruti Visweswaran
Faculty Advisor
Jamie Meltzer
Made with the support of:
Pacific Pioneer Fund
Produced in the Documentary Film M.F.A. Program
Department of Art & Art History
Stanford University
The New Yorker Documentary
