Stonewall Revisited

From: kenneth in the (212)

The Advocate has this to say about its current cover story:

Just over a year ago Advocate contributor Matthew Hays traveled to Montreal to visit the set of the film Stonewall, where he spoke with director Roland Emmerich about the production. The openly gay German filmmaker, best known for his blockbusters Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow and 2012, tells The Advocate, “This is very personal for me. I wanted to do it now, as I’m very active in the marriage equality movement. I thought now is the time to do this.”

Emmerich and screenwriter Jon Robin Baitz (Brothers and Sisters, The Slap) decided the landmark moment should be told through the very personal lens of one character. British actor Jeremy Irvine (War Horse) plays Danny, a lost young man, longing to find other people like himself.

In early August 2015, more than a year after visiting the Stonewall set in Montreal, the first trailer for the film was released. In short order, online publications and commenters accused Emmerich of “white-washing” the Stonewall story. Emmerich responded on his Facebook page: “I understand that following the release of our trailer there have been initial concerns about how this character’s involvement is portrayed, but when this film—which is truly a labor of love for me—finally comes to theaters, audiences will see that it deeply honors the real-life activists who were there—including Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, and Ray Castro—and all the brave people who sparked the civil rights movement which continues to this day. We are all the same in our struggle for acceptance.”

Read HERE.