Beyoncé honours late uncle with release of Renaissance film on Aids Day

Concert film is hitting theatres on 1 December

Beyoncé’s movie about her world tour, Renaissance, A Film by Beyoncé, is set to hit theatres on 1 December, with the release date appearing to be a special tribute to her late uncle, Jonny.

In October, AMC Theaters announced that the pop star would be releasing her film, which is centred on her 39-city World Tour. Throughout the five months of the Renaissance tour, 2.7 million concertgoers are estimated to have attended. Billboard has also reported that the shows grossed nearly half a billion dollars worldwide.

On Thursday 30 November, the “CUFF IT” singer is unveiling the movie in London, where Taylor Swift and Blake Lively have shown up in support. Swift’s appearance comes after Beyoncé attended the singer’s film premiere of her Eras Tour in Los Angeles in October. Following the premiere, Swift took to Instagram to praise the fellow pop star as a “guiding light” who has taught her to “break rules and defy industry norms”.

The movie mixes concert footage and elements of a visual album while trailing the tour from its launch in Stockholm, Sweden, in May to the finale Sunday night in Kansas City, Missouri. “It is about Beyoncé’s intention, hard work, involvement in every aspect of the production, her creative mind and purpose to create her legacy, and master her craft,” the film’s description reads,

The premiere date for Renaissance, A Film by Beyoncé also has special meaning, as 1 December is World Aids Day, which is meant to “raise awareness about HIV and honour lives affected by HIV,” per The National Institutes of Health. Ahead of the release, some fans suggested the movie’s release date was chosen in honour of Beyoncé’s Uncle Jonny, who died from complications caused by HIV.

After the film was announced, fans on X – formerly known as Twitter – pointed out the importance of the premiere date. “Beyoncé dropping the RENAISSANCE World Tour film on World Aids Day when the project is dedicated to her Uncle Jonny who died from an Aids-related illness is icon behaviour,” one wrote in October.

Aside from the apparent dedication to her uncle with the movie’s release date, Beyoncé shared a sweet dedication to him when releasing her Renaissance album. In an open letter from the 40-year-old singer, shared in July 2022, she thanked her family members, with a special mention of Jonny.

“A big thank you to my Uncle Jonny,” the singer wrote. “He was my godmother and the first person to expose me to a lot of the music and culture that serve as inspiration for this album.

“Thank you to all of the pioneers who originate culture, to all of the fallen angels whose contributions have gone unrecognised for far too long. This is a celebration for you.”

Over the years, Beyoncé has been vocal about how her uncle – the nephew of her mother, Tina Knowles – has shaped her life. She paid tribute to him in 2019 when she accepted her Vanguard Award. “I want to dedicate this award to my Uncle Jonny, the most fabulous gay man I ever knew, who helped raise me and my sister,” she said at the GLAAD Media Awards ceremony.