The Massive Undertaking of WorldPride 2019 Showcased in New Doc 

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, New York City hosted WorldPride in June 2019. Throughout the process, filmmaker Kevin Ricupero recruited an all-volunteer crew of young LGBTQ activists to capture the making of the historic event.

The result was Humans of Pride, a documentary exploring the growing internal divisiveness the LGBTQ community confronts in order to protect its future.

"By the middle of production, a cultural mosaic began to appear so you knew we were on the right track," Ricupero noted in a statement. The month-long celebration in New York celebrated the evolution of human rights from rioting against police to having their protection as millions of LGBTQ people flocked to the Big Apple.

As producers note, the film aims to answer important questions, like: Who in this community ultimately got left behind? Why did this happen? What are the lasting effects, and how do we resolve them?

In-depth interviews with community leaders such as Billy Porter, Dustin Lance Black, Dominique Jackson, Charley Beal, Richard Socarides, Corey Johnson, Marti Gould Cummings, Fabrice Houdart, James Patterson, Alaska, Bob the Drag Queen, Shangela, Yvie Oddly, Alyssa Edwards, David Studinski, Maryanne Roberto Fine, Cathy Renna, and many more weighed in on the greatest challenges of our time, lessons of the past, and guidance for the future.

"That was the real inspiration behind making this film," added Ricupero. "There exists a camouflaged imbalance in our community, at an extremely sensitive time, and it's pulling us apart. If we gather our thought leaders, we can weave their wisdom into the history of this moment, and continue to defeat the hate."

Key players of Humans of Pride include Catalina Rodriguez as director of photography; David Belsky as producer and head of public relations; Ryan Grippi as producer; and John Rossi and Vitor Vieira as lead cinematographers.

"I can't say I never imagined we'd be where we landed today, because I've always been a dreamer," said Ricupero. "But I am so proud of the team we've built, the product we've created, and the story we're about to tell. I believe our entire crew and collaborating partners can agree that if this helps bend the arc of humanity, even just a little bit more towards good, then we have achieved something great together."

Watch the trailer below, and learn more at HumansOfPride.com.