YMCA - The Invention of the Village People

This documentary examines the creation and global rise of the Village People, a group formed by French producers Jacques Morali and Henri Belolo during the mid-1970s disco scene in New York City. The film explores how the group utilized figures from American popular culture to achieve massive commercial success with hits like YMCA, Go West, and Macho Man. Through interviews with disco experts and former members, the narrative looks at the tension between the group's identity as a symbol of gay liberation and its role as a carefully crafted marketing tool.

Directed by Sascha Schmidt, this is the first of two films he released in 2026, preceding Wing Shop. Produced in Germany by ARTE, Radio Bremen, and Zentralfilm Filmproduktion, the music documentary was released on July 1, 2026, as a television movie with a runtime of 53 minutes.