‘Independence Day’ director to make Stonewall riots film
By Josh Haggis
Independence Day
director Roland Emmerich has announced he is making a film based on the Stonewall riots.
German film-maker Emmerich, who is gay and known as a campaigner for LGBT rights, has an impressive CV that also includes blockbusters such as 2012, The Day After Tomorrow and most recently, 2013’s White House Down starring Channing Tatum.
In a post on Facebook, Emmerich shared the photo of himself that appears to the right, and wrote: “Hello Everyone — I’ve had so much fun sharing my life with you through pictures and events these past six months. I wanted you to be the first to know that I will begin shooting “STONEWALL” this Spring.”
He continued: “For those of you who aren’t aware, the legendary Stonewall Inn is the birthplace of the modern Gay Rights movement. I plan to keep you updated along the way with casting information and lots of pictures and behind-the-scenes videos.”
The Stonewall riots, a series of spontaneous and violent demonstrations by members of the LGBT community in New York, took place in 1969, in response to a police raid that took place at the Stonewall Inn, a well-known gay bar in the Greenwich Village district.
The riots are widely recognised as the starting point of the modern-day gay rights movement in the US, with the nation’s first gay rights marches taking place a year later in New York, LA and Chicago to commemorate the anniversary.