Melinda Maerker wasnt aiming for We Live Here: The Midwest to be unveiled just weeks before Christmas, when networks and streaming platforms are emphasizing feel-good content.

Still, the filmmaker is confident that those who check out her new documentary will find a very positive message for the holidays, even if it doesnt evoke the sentiments found on the Hallmark Channel.

Released by Hulu on Dec. 6, We Live Here: The Midwest is a brisk, but nonetheless insightful, chronicle of LGBTQ+ families living in five Midwestern states: Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska and Ohio.

No doubt viewers from all walks of life can relate to the challenges from homophobic and transphobic family members to feeling at odds with their religious faith that the films diverse subjects endure. Still, Maerker knew that she wanted to zoom in on LGBTQ+ people who have chosen to live outside of urban, and generally more progressive, enclaves like New York and San Francisco from the get-go.

We focused on the Midwest because its the heartland of family values, she said. There are many things good about family values but what does that mean? Whos excluded from that? The discrimination that happens in the queer community often takes place within the family. Theres a painful irony there. It was important for us to highlight that family doesnt necessarily mean your blood relatives.

Speaking with HuffPost, Maerker and producer David Clayton Miller shared how We Live Here: The Midwest was shaped by Americas political climate, and explained why they hope the documentary will be the first in a series.

Your films subjects get candid about traumatic life experiences theyve had. As filmmakers, how did you work together to establish a rapport?

Melinda Maerker: Building trust was super important. This is why we call them courageous families, first and foremost. Yes, theyre part of the queer community but no matter what community theyre a part of thats being maligned at the moment, theyre very courageous to stand up to that.

David Clayton Miller: One of the great things about being a documentarian is that you get to be vulnerable yourself, similar to a reporter dealing with a situation. Obviously when youre dealing with children, we want to make sure that they feel safe and that the parents felt safe with us talking to them separately.