Deep in the desert of Southern California, some 80-plus miles away from Palm Springs and just outside the Salton Sea (which was at one point envisioned as a resort to rival Palm Springs before the plight of toxic contamination), lies an unincorporated nomadic community known as Slab City.
Dubbed a “squatter’s paradise,” Slab City has had an ever-fluctuating population of travelers, campers, and vehicle-dwellers over the years, some there out of curiosity for a new way of living, and others with nowhere else to turn to.
Within this broader, loosely defined community, Flamingo Camp was established as a haven specifically for queer and trans people—for those who needed a safe space, a sense of comfort and belonging, in world that frequently denigrates or outright denies their existence.
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In his new documentary Flamingo Camp, filmmaker Chris Coats takes audiences inside the unique community with unprecedented access. But, while he was filming the project, tragedy found its way to this otherwise peaceful settlement, turning the dwellers’ lives upside down.
Having spent most of his 20s “hanging out with nomadic kids,” Coats tells Queerty he’s always felt a connection to the community. While researching for feature film about queer nomads (his 2023 short Stay Lost, co-starring Lukas Gage & Keiynan Lonsdale, tackles similar themes), he befriended a van-dwelling person named Andy who invited him out to Slab City one winter.
“Andy took me to Flamingo Camp and was just completely in awe that a place like that existed,” the director shares. “Fiction or non-fiction, I’m always drawn to stories about our community that aren’t normally given voice, and I knew documenting this community was something I hadn’t seen before and was important.”
And so, with the permission of Flamingo Camp’s founder Nova (they/them), Coats began filming the daily lives of the people who lived there, capturing a vibrant and joyful queer existence, far, far off the grid.
But, a few months into production—when Coats was nearly ready to call it a wrap—one of the trans campers he had been following was murdered. With the police refusing the help, his film shifted gears, now documenting this chosen family’s fight for justice for one of their own while struggling to keep the settlement’s sense of safety in tact.
“I had to hold space for people experiencing profound grief—people who had also entrusted me with their stories, which were often complicated, emotional, and, at times, in conflict with one another,” the filmmaker tells Queerty. “The greatest challenge became telling it with honesty and compassion—honoring the reality of the situation and the people involved—while not losing sight of the beauty, joy, and significance of the community as a whole.”
Described as “a raw, intimate, and compassionate look at queer joy, heartbreak, and survival on the edge of the long-broken American Dream,” Flamingo Camp has been wowing audiences at film festivals all over the world these past few months.
In Coats’ view, it’s a film with an especially timely message about protecting the most vulnerable in our community:
“Queer and trans people, especially those living in poverty, are more vulnerable than ever,” he shares. “Essential services like food, housing, and gender-affirming care are being cut, while rising hate and trans erasure, fueled by the administration and conservative rhetoric, put the most marginalized at greater risk.”
Coats continues: “Flamingo Camp may be triggering for some, but the ultimate goal is empathy. By showing the participants’ lives in all their beauty and complexity, I hope to spark understanding not just from outside the LGBTQ+ community, but within it as well, especially among those unaware of what the most vulnerable endure to survive.”
Next stop? The doc will make its Los Angeles premiere Dances With Films in Hollywood on June 25, so if you’re in the area, don’t miss your opportunity to grab tickets right here and be one of the first to see this one-of-a-kind documentary.
Ahead of Flamingo Camp‘s Dances With Films debut, Queerty is honored to host the documentary’s official trailer premiere, which you can watch below:
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