YouTube to premiere Gigi Gorgeous documentary at Sundance Film Festival
This time last year, YouTube was getting ready to promote its first ever slate of originals at Sundance Film Festival.
Now, the video giant isn't just promoting its originals in Park City, Utah, it's premiering one of them.
For the first time ever, YouTube will hold a world premiere for one of its projects -- This Is Everything: Gigi Gorgeous -- at the festival on Jan. 24.
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"It’s an honor [to have one of our docs premiere at Sundance]," said YouTube Chief Marketing Officer Danielle Tiedt in an email interview with Mashable. "And shows how YouTube has evolved from being known only for short form videos to a platform where some of today’s most innovative and risk-taking storytellers live."
Gigi Gorgeous, known for her beauty and lifestyle vlogs, has over 2.4 million subscribers to her channel. The internet star revealed she was transgender in a video on her channel in December 2013.
The film "offers a candid look at [Gigi's] transition, sharing its hallmarks online with her legion of fans as she embraces a new world of possibilities," according to the movie's description.
Two-time Academy Award winner Barbara Kopple directed the documentary, which was executive produced by SelectNext. Gigi, Kopple, Gigi’s dad David Lazzarato, YouTube Red Originals' Tim Shey and Human Rights Campaign Press Secretary Sarah McBride will also hold a panel discussion about the film.
Over the last five years, YouTube has been steadily increasing its presence through various activations. This year the company wants to continue to support the development of emerging storytellers at the festival.
The platform will return to Sundance 2017 as the official sponsor of the Shorts Programs for the fifth consecutive year, and will bring back its YouTube House on Main Street and other programming in collaboration with the Sundance Institute.
Creators selected for this year’s YouTube Creators Intensive workshop, now in its second year, include Thomas "TomSka"Ridgewell, T Pindell, Eric Ochoa, Brittany Furlan, Tre Melvin, Mikey Murphy, Natalie Tran, Meredith Foster, Jenn McAllister and Adrian Bliss.
From Jan. 19-24, the YouTube House on Main Street will be open daily for festival goers and offers a wide range of programming including panels, receptions, fireside chats, screenings and private events featuring music performances from artists such as R&B singer Kehlani, platinum-selling singer-songwriter gnash, singer-songwriter Molly Kate Kestner, and DJ Kiss. The public will also be able to get demos of Daydream, Google’s VR offering, featuring the YouTube VR app.
Panels include "A Conversation with Dan Harmon," "How to Make Your Indie Rise in the Age of Digital," and "New Voices in Comedy" (hosted by Mashable) which features creators Liza Koshy, Eva Gutowski and Rhett & Link.
Sundance Film Festival will also host a presentation called "YouTube and Using Your Platform for Change," with Gigi Gorgeous, Tyler Oakley and VICE Impact leader Katherine Keating.
"We’ve always felt aligned to the goals of the Sundance Film Festival because at its core - both the Festival and YouTube celebrate the independent creator," Tiedt said. "By having a meaningful presence, we hope to show our support for these artists and for innovative storytelling. Through our various activations, we hope to shine a spotlight on the Festival's amazing storytellers and highlight how YouTube is a tremendous resource for the independent creative community. "
Saba was a Los Angeles-based reporter who covers all things digital entertainment, including YouTube, streaming services and digital influencers. Prior to that, she spent two years at the Los Angeles Times covering entertainment for the Calendar and Company Town sections. Saba grew up in Santa Monica and graduated from Boston University with a B.S. in journalism and B.A. in political science. When not reporting, she is usually binge watching shows online or looking for new coffee shops to frequent.
