Love, death and costumes: Meet the SF Pride Grand Marshals who introduced their community to art and reclaimed fashion

KQED’s documentary acquisition series Truly CA: Our State, Our Stories brings a feature film adapted from a previous short film released last season. The short, Verasphere: A Love Story in Costume, followed partners, David Faulk and Michael Johnstone; their story of love, survival, creation and self expression during the AIDS epidemic.

Now, the hour long documentary has come to the light, titled Mrs. Vera’s Daybook.

During one of the darkest periods in US History, two men decide to bring joy and color to a broken community for which an entire movement has emerged.

Directed and Produced by Robert James, Mrs. Vera’s Daybook, a NuReality Production, tells a story of historic activism and community art through the works of two San Francisco artists, David Faulk and Michael Johnstone, who also happen to be long-term AIDS survivors.