Genre
Synopsis
THE DUCHESS OF GRANT PARK follows a self-proclaimed Black trans royal who sets out to build a safety network for queer people across the American South. Known for her tiaras, elegance, and disarming charm, Her Grace has long been dismissed as a performer rather than a leader—until rising political tensions, anti-trans legislation, and her own conscience compel her to act.
With a small but determined team, she begins traveling to churches, school board meetings, and small-town fundraisers—anywhere queer lives are under threat and love is needed. But as her visibility increases, so does the danger, drawing the ire of a powerful conservative congressman and a right-wing media personality intent on discrediting her. When a violent protest disrupts one of her events, the Duchess must decide whether to retreat or rise. Refusing to abandon her mission, she helps organize the Prismatic Guards, a volunteer network protecting queer spaces, culminating in a massive rally and the first-ever Queer Debutante Ball.
Blending Southern grandeur with political resistance, humor with heartbreak, and fantasy with reality, THE DUCHESS OF GRANT PARK is a character-driven drama rooted in lived experience, chosen family, and the radical power of love. Inspired by the legacies of Marsha P. Johnson, James Baldwin, and Eleanor Roosevelt, the story invites audiences to imagine what queer leadership looks like when it is wrapped in care, community, and unapologetic visibility.
Bio
Ava Davis is a Sundance Fellow ('21, Trans Possibilities Intensive) and is also known as the Duchess of Grant Park. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with her partner, and has appeared on stage in New York City (Pride50) and Atlanta (Alice in Wonderland, Peril, The Odd Couple). She has also appeared in films (Give Me an A, Could This Have Been An Email, The Duchess of Grant Park).
She is also an advocate for increasing trans and queer representation, especially that of black and other minorities. She founded her production company, Studio Vosges, in 2019 with the expressed purpose of telling the stories of queer and trans (GSM) black, brown, and beige people. She hosts the talk show, The Ava Davis Show, on you42.com.
She has acted in, written, and produced several short films, including Feast, The Decision, and the upcoming experimental horror short, Torn Together. She also created, produced, and acted in the short film The Duchess of Grant Park, about a trans woman who claims the Grant Park neighborhood of Atlanta as her duchy. With her production company, Davis recently signed a deal for this short film to screen and stream on Atlanta's PBS affiliate WABE for the next two years.
She is currently working to produce and secure financing for her first feature film, The Waltz, about a single young trans woman who teams up with a reluctant dance partner to pursue her dream of learning the waltz.
Awards History
Southern Fried Queer Pride Filmmaker of the Year 2023
First Tilme Filmmaker Cobb International Film Festival
Credits
Duchess - Ava Davis
