Catch the ‘Gigi Gorgeous’ documentary at Video Junkie

Acclaimed documentary filmmaker Barbara Kopple (American Dream) has turned her lens on YouTube star Gigi Gorgeous for an insight into transgender transformation and online fame. Now Video Junkie, the festival that celebrates all things video, is screening the film on July 28 for free.

This is Everything: Gigi Gorgeous premiered at Sundance Film Festival to mixed reviews. Gigi is a vlogger who started posting beauty tutorials to YouTube almost a decade ago under her previous name, Gregory. Once a talented young diver competing at a national level in Canada, Gigi found online fame and came out as transgender to her millions of followers in 2013. She’s now a celebrity with a signature catchphrase – “Stay gorgeous!”

Ms. Gorgeous was described as an odd choice of subject for Oscar-winning Kopple, known for tackling much heavier political and social issues. The documentary’s biggest criticism was a lack of depth and analysis of post-modern celebrity culture, while also being praised for bringing attention to online bullying & transgender rights.

The documentary uses YouTube archive and personal interviews with Gigi and her family to look back at her childhood and journey to stratospheric heights of online celebrity. Much of the narrative focuses on her physical and mental transformation from boy to young woman and the freedom it brings her.

Gigi Gorgeous is one of the first YouTube Red Originals to attract attention outside of its online community, making its inclusion in Video Junkie’s festival program a natural fit. Described as a “celebration of creativity and innovation in video”, the two-day festival hosts panel talks and masterclasses amongst its screenings to inspire and support emerging content creators.

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Grab your ticket here.