TRAILER Video, 2 minutes FULL FILM, 60 minutes about the film HOMETOWN PROUD, 2020, FEATURE-LENGTH DOCUMENTARY 60 MINUTES Produced, Directed, and Edited by Naida Osline & Tyler Stallings Produced, Directed, and Edited by Naida Osline & Tyler Stallings
After 30 years of living openly gay in California, Archer, a dance teacher and handyman, returns to his small hometown of Botkins, Ohio (population 1,164), where he has been invited to be a featured performer in the annual “Miss Carousel” pageant. HOMETOWN PROUD follows Archer as he resolves to enhance Botkins’ annual summer festival with a dash of rainbow pride.
The film paints a picture of the town by weaving together Archer’s actions and observations with wide-ranging comments from local citizens, including the reigning Carousel Queen, the pageant director, the mayor and local historians. Family members are interviewed, including his young lesbian niece and her older sister, his musician brother, who composes a song for Archer’s dance routine, and his ever-supportive mom—who sits atop Archer’s parade float as his queen. Together, they create a family portrait tha