You may recognize Emily Robinson from her captivating performances in the Emmy Award Winning television show, Transparent. She has also had roles in indie dramas such as Edge of Everything and The Year Between.

I knew Emily was the perfect fit for this role when I met her. Not only is she a brilliant actress but also a writer, novelist, director and absolute rad human who I knew would bring the emotional nuance necessary for this complex lead role and she did just that. Working with this brilliant actress over a two year period was one of the greatest creative honors of my life.

When I found out that Brant grew up in Southern Ohio in the same area as myself and he also attended my Alma Mater Columbia College - I was immensely intrigued. Something in my gut just kept screaming, this is the guy! This is our James! His dedication and commitment to this role, and film, were unfaltering. His credits include starring in Pretty Little Liars as Noel Kahn as well as Fifty Shades Freed as Sawyer.

Following her film debut in 1983's Bad Boys, she became known as one of the Brat Pack group of actors in the films The Breakfast Club (1985) and St. Elmo's Fire (1985). She also acted in WarGames (1983) and Short Circuit (1986). For her performance in Lisa Cholodenko's High Art (1998), Sheedy won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead. According to IMDB, High Art was nominated for a number of awards, and won the GLAAD Media Awards 1999 Outstanding Film (Limited Release).

I absolutely adore Margaret! Having this Emmy Nominated actress in our film is the greatest blessing that I could ask for. Margaret has been a vocal supporter of my work from the early Femina Potens days when she performed a burlesque act at our benefit event , Art of Restraint. She has been wowing the world with her bold queer, feminist, sex positive boundary breaking comedy for decades and has starred in countless films and television shows including Fire Island, All American Girl, 30 Rock and so many more.

Brittany Blum is an actor, producer, and theatre artist who has spent her life dedicated to her craft and to the development of cathartic, impactful theatre.

She began her acting career in San Francisco as a child, training and performing at the American Conservatory Theater under Craig Slate as a part of the Young Conservatory. She studied under Cindy Gold and David Downs at Northwestern University’s Theater Program, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Theater and Creative Writing.

She trains and works professionally in New York City and loves nothing more than bringing versatile characters authentically to life with deep respect for the depth and truth of the human spirit.

Josephine Chiang is a Taiwanese-American film actor based in NYC. Rooting from their ever-evolving relationship with their queerness, upbringing, and exhausting desire to continually fall in love, Josephine brings to life tenacious and vulnerable characters across their work

Jiz Lee built a name in the adult industry by presenting their enthusiasm and unique gender expression on camera. Jiz has performed in porn for over two decades, in over 400 projects spanning six countries within independent, queer, and hardcore gonzo adult films. A versatile performer and key player in the queer porn movement, Jiz has been the recipient of multiple AVN and XBiz Award industry nominations and Feminist Porn Awards, and in 2015 was named an honoree of The Trans 100. (Jiz is non-binary and uses the neutral pronouns they/them.)

Their writing has appeared in The Feminist Porn Book, Best Sex Writing, OUT Magazine, and Jezebel.com, among other publications. In 2015, they released Coming Out Like a Porn Star, an anthology of essays by adult film industry workers on the social stigma of sex work.

Casey Calvert is an award winning adult performer, producer, writer, intimacy coordinator and director. She began her career in 2012 after graduating from the University of Florida with a film degree. As a performer, she's well-known for genres from soft solo scenes to extreme BDSM, and everything in between. 

An advocate for education surrounding the adult film industry, Calvert's expertise has been featured in The Huffington Post, The Guardian, Rolling Stone, Buzzfeed, Jezebel, and more, and she has spoken at many prestigious universities including UCLA, the University of Southern California, the University of Florida, and Chapman University. 

King LOTUS BOY (Ze/Zir, He/Him, & They/Them) is a shapeshifting, transgender and nonbinary, unapologetically disabled, Chinese-American drag king and multidisciplinary artist based in occupied Lisjan Ohlone Land (Oakland, CA). Zir work explores themes of ableism, anti-Asian racism, gender fluidity, sustainability, and healing from trauma—often incorporating humor as a vessel of universal connection. With every performance, he aims to help the audience learn—or unlearn—something about themselves and the world around them. In 2021, LOTUS BOY was the Runner-Up of SFDK, and the first ever virtual competitor.

Alotta Boutté is an international and life long performer who is excited to be a Board Member of BurlyCon! After a nearly 2 year stint in Paris as a part of the Mugler Follies, she returned to San Francisco the cast of the world’s longest running musical revue, Beach Blanket Babylon. She began tantalizing burlesque audiences 15 years ago as a part of the award winning, all-Black burlesque, troupe Harlem Shake Burlesque. She is eager to share 30+year of stage experience with you!

Lea Robinson is a bay area powerhouse bringing queer and trans representation to television and big screen. You may recognize Lea from their iconic role in Amazon’s Original Series A League of Their Own as Uncle Bertie. Lea attended me and James’s wedding ten years ago and it feels so extra special to have them in this fim.

Bunny Michael has made a splash in the world through creating authentic digestible web series and content on social mediia platforms. Along with garnering 100K followers Bunny has made appearances on shows like High Maitenance an the web series These/Thems.

Daniel Camou (he/him) is a Basque American actor, physical theatre artist and theatre producer from San Francisco. He received an MA in performance from Rose Bruford College and has recently been endorsed by Arts Council England for a Global Talent visa as an emerging leader in the arts with exceptional promise. He has studied under international theatre practitioners from the Grotowski Institute, Teatr ZAR, Song of the Goat and Gecko Theatre. Broadway Baby called his immersive play Now Entering Ely, Nevada “an intimate, deeply personal and rare piece of theatre.” He is currently developing a new play Don’t Shoot The Messenger at the Lion and Unicorn Theatre for Camden Fringe 2025. Represented by Josie Rollin at Global Artists.

Wyatt Denny is an American actor, director, and writer whose dynamic career spans acting, filmmaking, and technical roles in independent cinema. He showcased his acting talent as Joe Bob in the 2023 action thriller Rumble Through the Dark, directed by Graham and Parker Phillips, starring alongside Aaron Eckhart and Bella Thorne. Wyatt also appeared as Big Bob in the 2015 indie drama Burning Bodhi, which premiered at the Austin Film Festival, contributing to its heartfelt ensemble. His screen credits include The Sessions (2012) and Heaven Strewn (2011), with a starring role in the 2022 Feature Goin' Around, for which he won a Best Actor award at LA Live Film Fest. As a filmmaker, Wyatt wrote, directed, and starred in the experimental short Alice & the White Hair (2010), earning the Best Experimental Film award at the 2010 Los Angeles Cinema Festival of Hollywood. His acting accolades also include two Emmy wins in 2004 for his performances in the short film My Beautiful Wickedness and the spec commercial No Can Do, plus a Best Actor Award for Fantasy at the 2004 Shocker Film Festival for the former. With additional experience in camera and electrical work, Wyatt Denny continues to bring a distinctive creative energy to the entertainment industry.

William Brosnahan attended Carnegie Mellon School of Drama and after growing up in New York is now a Bay Area based actor. He loves Shakespeare, having just starred as Romeo in SF Shakes production of Romeo and Juliet, but is making a move to film with his upcoming first feature lead in soon to be streaming Love and Therapy. BAck on stage you can also catch him as Marcus in Shotgun Players' production of Yellowface coming May 2025. 

Rose McAvoy is a theatrical and commercial actor based in California. She enjoys both acting for film and on stage. 

She was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay area. She grew up doing dance and that’s where she fell in love with performing. 

In high school, she discovered her passion for acting. It was an outlet to express her  vulnerability, creativity and emotional range. 

She has developed her craft by training at American Conservatory Theatre and Berkeley Repertory School of Theatre. 

Rose has also worked as a teaching artist at Portola Valley Theatre Conservatory.

David Kubicka is an actor known for Tesla (2020), Billions (2016), and The Knick (2014). Born in Madison, Wisconsin, David is a graduate of the Stella Adler Conservatory in New York, NY.

Briar Magee is an actress, singer and tiktoker based in NYC. The 20 year old is pleased to be making her speaking role debut in By the Roots. Other film credentials include background work in Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Billions, The Gilded Age, Life and Beth, and No Hard Feelings.

Jenna Harwood is a New York based actress. Born in London and raised in Colorado, Jenna has always had a passion for the arts. In Colorado, Jenna performed in theaters across the state. She spent two years studying at Sarah Lawrence College before transferring to Marymount Manhattan College to receive her BFA in Acting. Jenna spends her free time reading literally everything, drinking too much coffee, and watching Youtube videos of squids.

Nessa Dougherty, resides in San Francisco, California. She is the youngest of five girls, a natural born entertainer and genuine people person. Her interest in performing started at a young age when she would lip sync and dance to popular hits on the radio and asked to be recorded. It became evident a couple of years later that she wanted to act, when she jumped right into her older sister's acting class with no hesitation. She couldn't even read the lines herself, but was able to memorize them right away! After appearing in a few minor commercial and short film acting projects throughout the years, Nessa is excited to debut in the upcoming feature, Fairyland, which premiered at Sundance 2023. She stars as the younger version of Alysia Abbott. Emilia Jones (CODA) plays the older version of Alysia, and stars opposite Scoot McNairy as Steve Abbott. Fairyland had a very strong festival run, including winning audience favorite in multiple festivals. Nessa received many glowing reviews as Young Alysia, including one calling her "excellent, truly irresistible, and a real find". Fairyland is still awaiting distribution. Nessa is also excited for her upcoming roles in features that are still in the works. When she is not acting, Nessa is part of a competitive hip hop dance team, in a rock band,and also enjoys participating in many sports.

Piera Tamer is part of the Young Conservatory at the American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) in San Francisco. Stage credits include Matilda in Matilda the Musical (Novato Theater Company), Zayd in the world premiere of A Whynot Christmas Carol (A.C.T.) and Tiny Tim in A Christmas Carol (A.C.T.). Piera trains in musical theater, voice, acting, piano and dance.

Kuba Adams is a young actor based in San Francisco.  His prior work includes performances in Bay Area theaters and independent films.  When not acting, Kuba spends his free time skateboarding, surfing, and watching films and live theater.