{"id":2306,"date":"2026-06-16T23:36:21","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T23:36:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=2306"},"modified":"2026-06-16T23:36:21","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T23:36:21","slug":"reclaim-the-flag-director-alexis-bittar-on-why-some-people-were-too-nervous-to-be-in-doc-about-lgbtq-communitys-relationship-to-the-american-flag","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=2306","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Reclaim the Flag\u2019 Director Alexis Bittar on Why Some People Were Too \u2018Nervous\u2019 to Be in Doc About LGBTQ Community\u2019s Relationship to the American Flag"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<!-- do not apply CSS styles to this element! --><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>\n\tAlexis Bittar is reclaiming the American flag. So much so that the celebrity jewelry designer and filmmaker has one hanging outside the Brooklyn home he shares with his husband and their three kids.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=2304\">Remy Voice Actor Patton Oswalt Wants to Do \u2018Ratatouille 2\u2019 but It Can\u2019t Be a \u2018Money Grab\u2019: A Lot of Sequels Are \u2018Inorganic\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\n\t\u201cI love it,\u201d Bittar tells me. \u201cI bought some Gay Pride flags, but I haven\u2019t put them out yet. I like the fact that it\u2019s just the American flag. I like that you don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\n\tThe not knowing he\u2019s referring to is if someone sees the flag, will they assume the home belongs to a right-leaning, maybe even MAGA, family?<\/p>\n<p>\n\tThat is the premise of Bittar\u2019s directorial debut \u201cReclaim the Flag,\u201d a documentary short produced by Oscar winner Bruce Cohen about how the flag can be reclaimed as a symbol of the right to one of unity for all Americans, with a focus on the LGBTQ community. As Lena Waithe says in the film, \u201cDepending on how the United States feels about you, will depend on how you feel about the flag.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\n\tIn addition to Waithe, the film features interviews with Gus Kenworthy, Jonathan Capehart, Marc Jacobs, Bill T. Jones, Jim Parsons, George Takei, Gottmik, Gigi Goode, Cheyenne Jackson, Brandon Flynn, Harper Steele, Isaac Mizrahi, John Cameron Mitchell, Paul Tazewell, Raquel Willis, Josh Wood, Jenna Lyons, Justin Tranter and Marc Jacobs.<\/p>\n<p>\n\tI spoke to Bittar following recent special Pride Month screenings of the film in New York City and Los Angeles.<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\u201cWhen we filmed it, was right when Trump was coming after universities, so it was very difficult to find people to go on camera,\u201d Bittar says. \u201cPeople were nervous to talk about America at all. So I think when we filmed it, people were emotional right out of the gate, and then I think the emotions got heightened when they held the flag, when we put the flag in their hand.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=2302\">How Did Rush Become the Hipster Band of 2026? A New Fan\u2019s Appreciation of the \u2018Fifty Something\u2019 Band\u2019s Triumphant Comeback at the Forum<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\n\t\u201cWe didn\u2019t tell them that that was going to happen, but you could see this kind of shock, like they were not expecting it,\u201d he continues. \u201cAll of a sudden they were faced with their feelings about the American flag.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\n\tBittar says the flag has been \u201cco-opted\u201d and \u201cweaponized\u201d by the right. \u201cThe left really kind of let it be co-opted,\u201d he says. \u201cThey didn\u2019t address it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\n\tThere is no mention of Trump in \u201cReclaim the Flag.\u201d \u201cThe thing I really got struck with was the symbol of the American flag and what it was intended to represent, and if we could agree on what this flag was intended to represent and admit that it was never realized,\u201d Bittar says. \u201cIt was intended to represent all men are created equal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\n\tThe New York screening, in partnership with the Human Rights Campaign, marked the official launch of the Reclaim The Flag \u00a0movement. \u00a0New York City\u00a0Mayor Zohran Mamdani spoke at the event. \u201cThis film asks us a question: What does the American flag mean?\u201d he said. \u201cI will not claim to know every answer. But like so many who sat down for this film, to grapple with these questions with honesty and integrity, I know that there is more we can do to make our nation feel more open and inclusive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\n\tOne thing Bittar won\u2019t be doing is incorporating Old Glory into his jewelry designs. He laughs, \u201cI don\u2019t want to see a crystallized American flag.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=2300\">\u2018I\u2019ve Never Seen This Level of Unity\u2019: Wu-Tang Clan, Fat Joe, Chuck D and More NYC Rappers Celebrate the Knicks\u2019 Championship Win<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\n\tWatch \u201cReclaim the Flag\u201d below.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Alexis Bittar talks about people being too nervous to be in &#8220;Reclaim the Flag,&#8221; his doc about the LGBTQ community&#8217;s relationship to the American flag.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2305,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[13,1962],"class_list":["post-2306","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-film","tag-just-for-variety","tag-reclaim-the-flag"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - 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