A Living History of the LGBT Movement
A Living History of the LGBT Movement is a piece all about visibility and safe spaces in our society. rezonate created a world that was grounded in the reality of being in the LGBT community during a time of suppression, while also illustrating the hope and idealism of the heroes that shaped the community into what it is today.
Expertise
Creative Direction, Animation, Design, Edit,
Sound Design, Music, Direction
Partners
AARP + NextDayBetter
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Credits
Creative Director: Nico and Katwo Puertollano
Director: Nowy Aratan
Illustrators: EG Albor \ Cherylee Sng \ Andrea Nhel Ferrer
Animation: Nowy Aratan \ Cherlylee Sng \ Andrea Nhel Ferrer \ Drix Deñola \ Catherine Gonzales \ Plainly Simple
Writer: Nash Tysmans
Producer: Angelo Cuyegkeng
Pride Festivals today represent joy and freedom of expression, but this wasn’t always the case; for the path to love and acceptance was paved with grief, anger, justice, and a strong desire to live freely.
Working together with AARP and NextDayBetter, rezonate created a World that communicates hope amidst fear, love amidst hate, and pride amidst oppression.
Through illustrating the Living History of the LGBT Movement, rezonate paid homage to the LGBTQIA+ elderly who lived in times of prejudice & strife, and are facing an endemic of invisibility today.
From script to screen, the creation of this project was a highly collaborative process between a diverse cast of writers, directors and producers from NextDayBetter, AARP, and rezonate, many of which were part of the LGBTQIA+ community. This is to make sure that the film will not only be visually appealing and historically accurate, but to also convey a message of hope, love, and acceptance even in a history mired with hate and intolerance.
To pay homage to the trailblazers that fought a system of suppression and intolerance, rezonate created a visual language of revolt. In line with this, many of the design elements are in reference to protest paraphernalia, from the typography to the transitions to the color palette.
The flowing of smoke and water is consistent in each frame to show the concept of “gender fluidity”. The colors shift from Darkness, to Dawn, to Pride, representing the suppression the community faced at the time. As the film progresses, each chapter adds a new color, until an explosion of the whole spectrum is seen. Representing the warmth and vividness of life desired by many of the members of the community, and is being fought for until now.
At the center stage are the heroes and their cathartic moments highlighting how each spark contributed to changing the course of their lives along with the LGBT community.
Today’s LGBTQIA+ elderly were yesterday’s heroes. It is now the duty of the new generation to uphold the civil rights the elderly LGBTQIA+ community have fought and paid dearly for. AARP remembers and shares the legacy of these heroes to make sure their stories are not forgotten and that the current and future generation can continue to stand for their fellow members today.
To know more about AARP’s initiatives in supporting the LGBT community, visit aarp.org/pride
