River Gallo
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River Gallo is a Salvadoran-American filmmaker, actor, screenwriter, model, and intersex rights activist. They wrote, directed, and acted in the 2019
short film A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film o ...
''Ponyboi'', which was the first film to feature an openly
intersex Intersex people are those born with any of several sex characteristics, including chromosome patterns, gonads, or genitals that, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, "do not fit typical binar ...
actor playing an intersex person. Gallo adapted the screenplay for ''Ponyboi'' into a feature-length film by the same name, which premiered at the
2024 Sundance Film Festival The 2024 Sundance Film Festival took place from January 18 to 28, 2024. The first lineup of competition films was announced on December 6, 2023. Among the highlighted events included the premiere of a documentary about the 1980s rock band Dev ...
. Gallo also played the lead role in the 2024 adaptation.


Personal life

Gallo was born in and grew up in
New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
. Their parents are immigrants from
El Salvador El Salvador, officially the Republic of El Salvador, is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south by the Pacific Ocean. El Salvador's capital and largest city is S ...
. When they turned twelve they learned they had been born without
testicle A testicle or testis ( testes) is the gonad in all male bilaterians, including humans, and is Homology (biology), homologous to the ovary in females. Its primary functions are the production of sperm and the secretion of Androgen, androgens, p ...
s, although the doctor did not tell them they were intersex. The doctor told them they would need to start
hormone therapy Hormone therapy or hormonal therapy is the use of hormones in medical treatment. Treatment with hormone antagonists may also be referred to as hormonal therapy or antihormone therapy. The most general classes of hormone therapy are hormonal therap ...
and have surgery to insert
prosthetic testicle A prosthetic testicle is an artificial replacement for a testicle lost through surgery or injury. Consisting of a plastic ovoid manufactured from silicone rubber, and either solid, or filled with a salt solution and implanted in the scrotum, a p ...
s so they would "look and feel like a normal man". They have since become outspoken about ending unnecessary cosmetic surgeries performed on children with atypical genitals who are not old enough to give
informed consent Informed consent is an applied ethics principle that a person must have sufficient information and understanding before making decisions about accepting risk. Pertinent information may include risks and benefits of treatments, alternative treatme ...
. Gallo learned about the term "intersex", and that it applied to them, while writing their
master's thesis A thesis (: theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: D ...
. Gallo is
non-binary Non-binary or genderqueer Gender identity, gender identities are those that are outside the male/female gender binary. Non-binary identities often fall under the transgender umbrella since non-binary people typically identify with a gende ...
, trans fem, and
queer ''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are non-heterosexual or non- cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against LGBTQ people in the late 19th century. From the late 1980s, queer activists began to ...
. As of June 2023, they reside in Los Angeles.


Career

Gallo attended the
New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...
, where they trained in the Experimental Theatre Wing at the
Tisch School of the Arts The New York University Tisch School of the Arts (commonly referred to as Tisch) is the performing, cinematic, and media arts school of New York University. Founded on August 17, 1965, as the School of the Arts at New York University, Tisch ...
. After graduating with a
bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...
in 2013, they attended the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts and earned their
master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...
.


''Ponyboi''

While studying theater, Gallo created a 40-minute-long
stage Stage, stages, or staging may refer to: Arts and media Acting * Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions * Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage" * ''The Stage'', a weekly Brit ...
performance art Performance art is an artwork or art exhibition created through actions executed by the artist or other participants. It may be witnessed live or through documentation, spontaneously developed or written, and is traditionally presented to a pu ...
piece that they would later adapt into ''Ponyboi''. For their master's thesis at USC in 2019, they created the ''Ponyboi'' short film. The 19-minute-long piece is about an intersex
Latinx ''Latinx'' is an English neologism used to refer to people with Latin American cultural or ethnic identity in the United States. The term aims to be a gender-neutral alternative to ''Latino'' and ''Latina'' by replacing the masculine and fem ...
runaway Runaway, Runaways or Run Away may refer to: Engineering * Runaway reaction, a chemical reaction releasing more heat than what can be removed and becoming uncontrollable * Thermal runaway, self-increase of the reaction rate of an exothermic proce ...
in New Jersey who works in the day at a laundromat and at night as a
sex worker A sex worker is a person who provides sex work, either on a regular or occasional basis. The term is used in reference to those who work in all areas of the sex industry.Oxford English Dictionary, "sex worker" According to one view, sex work is ...
. On Valentine's Day, Ponyboi meets and falls in love with a man and begins to overcome his traumatic past. While writing the film, Gallo discovered the term "intersex" and came to realize it described them. Gallo co-directed the film along with their USC classmate Sadé Clacken Joseph. The film was produced by executive producer
Stephen Fry Sir Stephen John Fry (born 24 August 1957) is an English actor, broadcaster, comedian, director, narrator and writer. He came to prominence as a member of the comic act Fry and Laurie alongside Hugh Laurie, with the two starring in ''A Bit of ...
and co-producers
Emma Thompson Dame Emma Thompson (born 15 April 1959) is a British actress and screenwriter. Emma Thompson on screen and stage, Her work spans over four decades of screen and stage, and List of awards and nominations received by Emma Thompson, her accola ...
and
Seven Graham Seven Graham is a British intersex activist, comedian, filmmaker and playwright, and drug addiction counsellor. He was a member of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs and is a co-founder of the Amy Winehouse Foundation. In recognition ...
. The film was screened at festivals including the BFI Flare: London LGBT Film Festival and the
Tribeca Film Festival The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Enterprises. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. The festival ...
. Gallo was a fellow in Sundance's Trans Possibilities Intensive in 2021, during which time they worked to develop the ''Ponyboi'' film further. Gallo's adapted the screenplay for the ''Ponyboi'' short film into a feature-length film by the same name, which premiered at the
2024 Sundance Film Festival The 2024 Sundance Film Festival took place from January 18 to 28, 2024. The first lineup of competition films was announced on December 6, 2023. Among the highlighted events included the premiere of a documentary about the 1980s rock band Dev ...
. Gallo also played the lead role in the 2024 adaptation, which was directed by
Esteban Arango Esteban Arango is a Colombian American filmmaker. Early life and education Arango was born in Bogotá, Colombia and moved with his family to the United States in 2000. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in communications from Florida Intern ...
. The
crime thriller Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, crime novel, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives or fiction that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professiona ...
follows the young intersex sex worker named Ponyboi, who works at a laundromat with his pregnant best friend Angel (
Victoria Pedretti Victoria Pedretti (born March 23, 1995) is an American actress. She gained wide recognition for starring in the Netflix horror series ''The Haunting of Hill House'' (2018) and '' The Haunting of Bly Manor'' (2020), which established her as a s ...
). He spends his nights with his secret lover and pimp, and the father of Angel's child, Vinnie (
Dylan O'Brien Dylan Rhodes O'Brien (born August 26, 1991) is an American actor. His first major role was as Stiles Stilinski in the MTV supernatural series '' Teen Wolf'' (2011–2017). He achieved further prominence for his lead role in the science fictio ...
). However, when a drug deal goes bad, he finds himself on the run from the mob. The film was positively reviewed in ''
The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'', which wrote that Gallo's screenplay "achieves something still rare in an industry unnecessarily confused about inclusion: ''Ponyboi'' seamlessly integrates its character's challenges with identity into a propulsive story about a sex worker on the run." ''
Collider A collider is a type of particle accelerator that brings two opposing particle beams together such that the particles collide. Compared to other particle accelerators in which the moving particles collide with a stationary matter target, collid ...
'' wrote that the film was "cinematic gold" that "would be nothing without River Gallo's performance".''
Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' gave a more critical review, praising Gallo's acting but criticizing the writing as predictable and too reliant on clichés.


Other work

Gallo is the founder and CEO of the Gaptoof Entertainment production company. In 2020, Gallo performed in an episode of the
Hulu Hulu (, ) is an American Subscription business model, subscription streaming media service owned by Disney Streaming, a subsidiary of the Disney Entertainment segment of the Walt Disney Company. It was launched on October 29, 2007, initially as ...
original
teen drama In film and television show, television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or docudrama, semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humour, humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional te ...
series ''
Love, Victor ''Love, Victor'' is an American teen comedy drama television series created by Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger, inspired by and set in the same world as the 2018 film ''Love, Simon''. The series premiered on June 17, 2020, on Hulu and ende ...
'', which is a spinoff of the 2018 film ''
Love, Simon ''Love, Simon'' is a 2018 American teen romantic comedy drama film directed by Greg Berlanti from a screenplay by Elizabeth Berger and Isaac Aptaker, based on the 2015 novel '' Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda'' by Becky Albertalli. The fi ...
''. Gallo appears in episode 8, "Boys' Trip", as the character Kim, who is one of Simon's several LGBT roommates. Gallo was profiled along with
Alicia Roth Weigel Alicia Roth Weigel is an American writer, political activist, and intersex advocate. She served as a Human Rights Commissioner for Austin, Texas and is the founder of the firIntrepida Strategy Weigel, who is intersex, was profiled alongside Riv ...
and Sean Saifa Wall in a documentary about intersex people called ''
Every Body ''Every Body'' is a 2023 American documentary film directed by and produced by NBC News Studios. It features Sean Saifa Wall, Alicia Roth Weigel and River Gallo. The film premiered at the Tribeca Festival on June 11, 2023, and was released ...
'', which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2023.


Recognition

In 2019, Gallo won the
GLAAD GLAAD () is an American non-governmental media monitoring organization. Originally founded as a protest against defamatory coverage of gay and lesbian demographics and their portrayals in the media and entertainment industries, it has since ...
Rising Star Grant, which they said they planned to use to mentor
LGBTQIA+ LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, and other individuals. The group is ...
students in Los Angeles public schools. They were also named in ''
Out Out or OUT may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films *Out (1957 film), ''Out'' (1957 film), a documentary short about the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 *Out (1982 film), ''Out'' (1982 film), an American film directed by Eli Hollander *O ...
'' magazine's "Most Exciting Queers to Follow on Instagram in 2019" list and '' Paper's'' "100 People Taking Over 2019" list. Gallo was named to ''Out'' magazine's 2023 "Out100" list.


Activism

Gallo is an intersex rights activist, and has spoken out about issues including unnecessary surgery on intersex children. They have supported California Senate Bill 201, which would ban doctors from performing cosmetic surgeries on children with atypical genitals until they are old enough to give informed consent.


Filmography


Film


Television


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gallo, River Actors from Los Angeles Actors from New Jersey American non-binary actors American non-binary writers American LGBTQ models American writers of Salvadoran descent Filmmakers from California Screenwriters from New Jersey Film directors from New Jersey Intersex models Intersex non-binary people American intersex people Intersex rights activists American intersex writers Intersex actors American LGBTQ film directors LGBTQ Hispanic and Latino American people LGBTQ people from New Jersey Living people Models from Los Angeles Models from New Jersey Non-binary models Non-binary activists American queer writers Queer models Tisch School of the Arts alumni University of Southern California alumni Year of birth missing (living people) Salvadoran transgender people Transgender models American transgender actors American transgender writers