Queen Mimi

Queen Mimi
Directed by	Yaniv Rokah
Written by	Yaniv Rokah
Produced by	Elliot V Kotek Michael Pelico Michael Shamberg
Starring	Zach Galifianakis Stan Fox Marie Haist (Mimi)
Cinematography	Andrew Fox
Edited by	Ally Garrett
Music by	Ron Passaro
Distributed by	XLrator Media
Release dates	March 27, 2015 (2015-03-27) (Vail Film Festival) May 2016 (2016-05)
Running time	76 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Queen Mimi is a 2015 documentary film about the life of Marie Haist, an octogenarian homeless woman who lived in a Santa Monica laundromat for 18 years, directed by Yaniv Rokah and produced by Elliot V Kotek.[1][2][3][4][5]

Release

The film was selected for the Sarasota Film Festival.[6] In May 2016, XLRator Media released the film worldwide.[7]

Cast

• Mimi as herself
• Zach Galifianakis as himself[8][9]
• Stan Fox as himself

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Festival	Result
2015	Best Documentary	Manhattan Film Festival[10]	Won
2015	Spirit Award	Chagrin Documentary Film Festival[10]	Won
2015	Spirit Award	Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival[10]	Won
2015	Best Director Award	St Tropez International Film Festival[7]	Won

Soundtrack

Queen Mimi is a 2016 soundtrack album from the documentary containing a song by Grammy Award nominee Deana Carter titled "Celebrate Life", written by Ralph Stevens and Deana Carter.[11]

Relationship to Zach Galifianakis

Zach Galifianakis befriended Haist decades before the release of the documentary, paying her rent until her passing for much of this duration despite not yet achieving widespread fame and fortune as a comic for much of this time. Haist had been rendered homeless in her 50s as a result of a divorce with her husband who had been unfaithful. Galifianakis maintained a close friendship with Haist, once taking her as a date on the red carpet for his movie The Hangover in 2009.

Haist died in 2021 at the age of 95.[12]

References

1. "Thrillers, comedy and more coming to Vail Film Festival". Vail Daily. 27 February 2015. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
2. "Film About Montana's "Queen Mimi" Packs the House". West Side People Magazine. 3 September 2014. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
3. Groves, Don (16 February 2015). "Aussie makes docs with altruistic angle". IF Magazine. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
4. Burns, Andrew (23 May 2013). "There's Something About Mimi". The Big issue. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
5. "'Queen Mimi' is at home on the red carpet -- and in a strip-mall laundromat". Los Angeles Times. 2016-05-13. Archived from the original on 2021-09-29.
6. Patterson, Alan (25 March 2015). "2015 Sarasota Film Festival Announces Full Lineup". Film Pulse. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
7. Anna Marie de la Fuente for Variety. December 3, 2015 XLrator Media Picks Up Yaniv Rokah’s Documentary ‘Queen Mimi’
8. "'Hangover' Star Takes Laundry Pal From Homeless To The Red Carpet". CBS Los Angeles. 21 May 2013. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
9. Weisman, Aly. "Zach Galifianakis Bought A Homeless Woman An Apartment — And Took Her To 'The Hangover III' Premiere". Business Insider. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
10. McCollum, Brian (10 May 2016). "'Queen Mimi' Exclusive Clip: Watch 88-Year-Old Marie 'Mimi' Haist Dance and Sing Celine Dion's 'I'm Alive'".
11. Myra Chanin for Huffington Post. May 16, 2016
12. Findlay, Shannen (2022-12-04). "In the late 90s, Zach Galifianakis met a homeless woman. He paid her rent for 27 years". Mamamia. Retrieved 2023-08-29.