Writer/Director Wes Hurley on His New Film “Potato Dreams of America”

For those living in Seattle, Washington or the Pacific Northwest, at large, the name Wes Hurley carries significant weight. He created the series, Capitol Hill, which starred a number of big name drag, burlesque, and boylesque performers in the region, from Waxie Moon to Jinkx Monsoon and BenDeLaCreme. He has an eye for drama, direction, and talent.

Hurley is a focused, driven artist who uses the area around him and those with star potential (whether the world will notice or not) nearby to create beautiful, even genius work. Hurley’s latest efforts involve his life story. First it was the 10-minute short, Little Potato, and now it’s the full-length film based on it, Potato Dreams of America. The work is tender, eye-opening and full of surprises.

Born in Russia, Hurley and his mother emigrated to the U.S. in, well, an odd way. But it makes the story that much more amazing (see the trailer below). We caught up with the filmmaker to ask him a few questions about his new movie, which just earned some new distributors (Dark Star and HBO!), how it’s influenced him, and what’s next.