"I thought it was just a bookstore… with a circus theme." Ha! Of course, it was much more than just that… Netflix has released an official trailer for a documentary called Circus of Books, about the iconic Circus of Books "bookstore" in Los Angeles (now closed down for good). This originally premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival last year, and it also played at the Frameline43 San Francisco LGBTQ+ Film Festival. For over 35 years, the gay porn shop "Circus of Books" gave Los Angeles' LGBT+ community a space to socialize and celebrate themselves without judgment. Executive produced by Ryan Murphy, Circus of Books is the debut documentary from artist Rachel Mason, who finally asks the least radical people she knows — her parents — how they became America's biggest distributors of gay porn, and why her mother reacted so negatively when her own son came out of the closet. Looks like a very personal and interesting film about one unique family.
Here's the first official trailer for Rachel Mason's document Circus of Books, from Netflix's YouTube:
For 35-plus years, the gay porn shop Circus of Books gave Los Angeles’ LGBT+ community a space to socialize and celebrate themselves without judgment. Unbeknownst to many customers, the store was cultivated by owners Karen and Barry Mason, a straight, mainstream couple with three children who went to religious school and were unaware of their parents’ business. The Masons long refused to disclose the nature of their business to friends or family. While maintaining the secret, they witnessed the dawn of the HIV/AIDS epidemic firsthand, losing a generation of treasured employees. Still, during that time, they never identified as activists — just everyday entrepreneurs catering to a specific market, until the internet destroyed it. Circus of Books is directed by artist / filmmaker Rachel Mason, making her documentary directorial debut with this film. Executive produced by Ryan Murphy. It first premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival last year. Netflix will debut Mason's Circus of Books streaming exclusively starting on April 22nd.
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