the gorgeous, optimistic, fragile Venus describes her dreams of a better life from her grandmother’s home in Jersey City, only for the film to later reveal that she had been found strangled under a bed in a motel room at the age of 23. Her murder remains unsolved to this day.
More than 35 years after Venus’s tragic death, filmmaker Kimberly Reed has shed more light on her story and honored her legacy withbrings together Venus’s two families: her biological family, the Pellagattis, as they try to work with the police to bring her killer to justice and grapple with their past treatment of her; and the Xtravaganzas, Venus’s ballroom family.
In this exclusive clip, Venus’s brothers and niece meet Gisele Xtravaganza, the mother of the House of Xtravaganza, to discuss trying to reopen the NYPD files surrounding Venus’s case. Venus’s brothers “There’s a perception out there that we didn’t care about her, which is so far from the truth,” Venus’s brother John says, while Gisele discusses her desire to use Venus’s case to shine light on the untimely deaths of other members of the House of Xtravaganza.
“It was exciting, and an honor, to witness the very first in-person meeting between the Pellagattis and Gisele, the current Mother of the House of Xtravaganza,” Reed tellsChappell Roan Opens Up to Crowd: 'My Career Is Going Really Fast and It’s Hard to Keep Up'Rob Schneider Booted Mid-Set From Another Stage After Attendees Walk Out
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