Slamdance Film Festival 2010

William S. Burroughs: A Man Within is a feature-length independent documentary by director Yony Leyser, in collaboration with BulletProof Film, Inc. The film paints a tender portrait of the Beat author and American icon, whose works at once savaged conservative ideals, spawned vibrant countercultural movements, and reconfigured 20th century literary culture. It features never-before-seen archival footage, as well as exclusive interviews with Burroughs’ colleagues and confidants including John Waters, Patti Smith, John Giorno, Sonic Youth, Gus Van Sant, Genesis P-Orridge, Iggy Pop, Laurie Anderson, Jello Biafra and many more. Burroughs was one of the first writers to cross the boundaries of queer and drug culture in the 1950s. His novel Naked Lunch reconfigured 20th century popular culture. He has influenced generations of artists. However, his friends were left wondering, did William ever find happiness? This intimate documentary reveals the troubled and brilliant world of one of the greatest authors of all time.

Yony Leyser is a twenty-five-year-old filmmaker, photographer and writer from Chicago, IL. He moved to Lawrence, Kansas, and began his passionate film on Burroughs after being kicked out of film school. His previous work has documented a utopian transgender commune in Tennessee, an anarchist village in Copenhagen, and Europe's largest squat.

In Miami I stayed with a Repo woman. Her friend, a muscular pornography cameraman I hired in a pinch to shoot my interview with Iggy Pop robbed me — he pulled over his car and made me give him all my money before he would get my equipment from the trunk of his fancy SUV.

I stayed with snakemaster Dean Ripa after I interviewed him in North Carolina. There were deadly snakes everywhere. It was election night 2008. Dean said the world was doomed no matter what. In bed, fearing an escaped snake, I heard screaming outside. Obama had won. ~ Yony Leyser