YMCA - Die Erfindung der Village People (2026)

Back in the mid-1970s, disco was bubbling up from New York’s underground club scene. Captivated by this soon-to-be global craze, French producers Henri Belolo and Jacques Morali built the Village People from the ground up, modeling the group on larger-than-life characters from American pop culture. Their rise was explosive—chart-topping anthems like *Macho Man*, *In the Navy*, *Go West*, and the unstoppable *Y.M.C.A.* sold millions, cementing the song as one of pop’s greatest hits. But beneath those euphoric sing-alongs lies a deeper, more complicated story: the Village People have been hailed as a beacon of gay liberation by some, dismissed as a calculated marketing gimmick by others. Featuring firsthand accounts from former members and disco historians, Sascha Schmidt’s documentary traces their journey from underground NYC clubs to global superstardom.