Matt Nadel’s Cashing Out is emerging as one of the most talked-about documentary shorts of awards season, blending deeply personal storytelling with timely star power. Recently shortlisted for Best Documentary Short at the 98th Academy Awards, the film has gained further attention thanks to the involvement of RuPaul’s Drag Race favourite Angeria, who joined the project early on as a producer alongside actor Matt Bomer.

The documentary explores the controversial rise of viatical settlements during the height of the AIDS crisis, when people living with HIV were routinely failed by governments and healthcare systems. At a time when an HIV diagnosis was widely regarded as a death sentence, viaticals allowed policyholders to sell their life insurance for immediate cash, offering short-term financial relief in exchange for long-term moral unease. While the subject matter is heavy, Cashing Out’s growing awards recognition has brought renewed cultural attention to this complex and often overlooked history.

Speaking to PinkNews, Angeria described the Oscar shortlist as “amazing” and “incredible”, stressing that her connection to the project pre-dated any awards buzz. Nadel personally reached out to her, and the performer felt an instant pull towards the story. Before drag brought her mainstream fame, Angeria was already working in HIV awareness and community advocacy, making the film’s themes resonate on both a personal and professional level. Her involvement adds a contemporary pop-culture bridge, helping the documentary reach audiences beyond traditional festival circles.

 

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At its core, Cashing Out is driven by human stories. Nadel introduces four figures whose lives intersected with the viatical industry in very different ways. Among them is his own father, Phil, who invested in life insurance policies in the early 1990s. The film also follows Scott Page, who arranged the sale of his partner Greg’s policy so Greg could enjoy stability and comfort before his death; activist and media pioneer Sean O. Strub, who sold his own policy and later founded POZ magazine; and DeeDee Ngozi Chamblee, a Black trans woman who had no policy to sell and instead relied on activism and mutual care to survive.

One of the documentary’s most affecting threads centres on Scott and Greg’s relationship, offering moments of tenderness and joy amid devastating circumstances. Through these stories, Nadel confronts uncomfortable truths, including his own reflection that the deaths of gay men indirectly supported his childhood security.

As awards attention grows and celebrity supporters amplify its message, Cashing Out stands out not only as an Oscar contender but as a vital piece of queer cultural memory revitalised through film.