Lana Kaiser is patient zero of German reality TV, the first proudly and openly queer person to celebrate a number one hit in Germany. Lana became a role model for a generation of misunderstood, marginalized young teens —and remains part of the collective memory to this day. As a participant of the German version of Pop Idol, Lana Kaiser, then known publicly as Daniel Küblböck, brought visibility to non-conformist personalities long before diversity was a buzzword. The deep trenches between fans and haters in what can be called the first shitstorms on social media, marked the beginning of a new media age in Germany.

During her career, Lana Kaiser held much more than the stereotype everyone painted of her. As someone who never wanted to conform to social norms, she may well have paved the way for later German queer celebrities such as Bill Kaulitz, Conchita Wurst, and Riccardo Simonetti.

The series offers a new perspective on a reality star who was the talk of the town but whose true personality remained widely unknown. Director Tristan Ferland Milewski tells the story as a love letter to “the greatest of all dreamers and fighters.” Lana was much more than the “strange bird” confronted with queerphobia  and hate.

The series tells a queer coming-of-age story embedded in the zeitgeist of the toxic 2000s, not clinging to nostalgia but uncovering unsparing memories of the social values of over 20 years ago, that anyone was prone to and hardly anyone questioned back then. Media-driven fame, hyped body standards, and traditional role models shaped comedy shows and the rise of reality TV, where celebrity was both made and demystified.

With the help of exclusive accounts from family and friends, Lana’s story is told by her “inner circle”, carefully avoiding to replicate stories through the malicious lens of the tabloid press. The three episodes paint an empowering psychological portrait of a deeply lovable person who constantly creatively reinvented herself and, shortly before disappearing on a cruise, seemed to be taking another important step toward a self-determined life.

The series draws parallels to the present day, for example through German entertainer Riccardo Simonetti, who followed Lana Kaiser’s story during his youth in a small Bavarian town and found her an empowering idol. He recounts his own experiences as a person in the spotlight who refused to conform to traditional role models. He describes from his own experience how hatred develops against people who are marked as “different” – and how much Lana’s story continues to inspire courage today.