YouTube orders State of Pride documentary
David Farnor | On 17, Sep 2018
YouTube has ordered a new documentary about the gay pride movement.
Called State of Pride, the LGBTQ+ documentary will explore the significant of the movement, looking at and celebrating its meaning and value. The film will be directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, two filmmakers who are no strangers to capturing LGBTQ+ issues on screen. The award-winning duo have previously helmed Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt, which took home an Oscar, and The Celluloid Closet, which bagged an Emmy.
Produced by Portal A, the movie promises to capture a “diverse range of LGBTQ+ perspectives on the meaning and value of the pride movement”, through interviews with key figures conducted by Raymond Braun. Braun is no stranger to to the LGBTQ+ community or to YouTube; he has previously led outreach efforts for the video site within the community. The documentary will see him travel to major cities across America to ask individuals about the role Pride has played in their personal journeys. It will span the whole Pride calendar and will then launch next year in June during Pride Month.
The commission plays to YouTube’s strengths as a community as well as a streaming hub. While it builds a library of content for its subscription service YouTube Premium, though, State of Pride will be released instead on its free, ad-supported site.