Pernod Ricard has produced a short film about the Toronto drag queen scene in support of its Absolut Vodka brand.

The documentary, called ‘Underneath the Empire’, features Canadian drag queen and television personality Scarlett Bobo and will air on Canadian LGBTQ+ network OutTv on 15 April. The documentary tells the story behind Absolut Empire’s Ball, a Toronto drag competition sponsored by the brand. 

“Since Absolut became the first spirit brand to publicly support the LGBTQ community 40 years ago, we’ve built a legacy of celebrating diversity, acceptance and equality,” said Absolut’s senior brand manager, Aoife O’Reilly. “This documentary is a true reflection of what that means, a grassroots effort to champion and fight for true inclusivity.”

In June last year, Pernod Ricard unveiled a limited edition ‘Rainbow’ packaging for its Absolut Vodka bottles in Canada. Pernod partnered with an LGBTQ+ rights charity to release the bottle.

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