Barbara Kopple’s latest project has a release date. Following its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 24, “This Is Everything: Gigi Gorgeous” will launch February 8 on YouTube Red, Variety reports. The documentary follows model, actress, and internet personality Gigi Lazzarato, a trans woman who found YouTube fame for her makeup tutorials.
When Lazzarato first came to prominence, she identified as a gay man. She came out as transgender in December of 2013. At present, she has over 2.1 million YouTube subscribers and more than 7.1 million combined platform followers.
“The team poured their hearts into the creation of this timely and moving documentary, and we are thrilled to share ‘This Is Everything: Gigi Gorgeous’ with the world,” said Susanne Daniels, Global Head of Original Content for YouTube. “Gigi’s story explores one of today’s most relevant social issues, and through Barbara Kopple’s powerful vision, we will feature nuanced documentarian storytelling and a rare look at Gigi’s incredible life journey. This film represents acceptance and belonging, and reminds us all about the meaning of love and family.”
“I am so excited to finally share this passion project with all of my supporters,” added Gigi Gorgeous. “It is a side of myself that I have kept very close to my heart and am so blessed to have found a team that is just as passionate about this film as I am. I hope by sharing my story others will walk away from this film with a stronger sense of understanding and acceptance,” she emphasized.
If you can’t catch the film at Sundance and want to see it on the big screen, note that the doc will have a week-long limited theatrical engagement in NY and LA on Feb. 3.
Kopple is a two-time Oscar winner, having taken home trophies in 1976 for “Harlan County, USA” and in 1991 for “American Dream.” Her other credits include “Miss Sharon Jones!” “Running From Crazy,” and “Dixie Chicks: Shut Up & Sing.”
“I love how open and honest Gigi is, how empowering her story is, and the supportive, caring community she’s built on YouTube,” Kopple told Women and Hollywood in a soon-to-be-published interview. “I also fell in love with her family, and the journey Gigi’s father, David, goes on to truly understand and to be there for his child.”
When we asked Kopple what she’d like people leaving the theater to think about after watching the film, she said, “I’d like for people to have a better understanding of who this transgender person really is, and that this is a deeply human issue.” She continued, “I’d like for people to be inspired to stand up for the rights of transgender people in schools and in their jobs. Gigi’s journey is about someone becoming who they really are, and everyone should be given that right.”
