Watch: 49 Hollywood stars pay tribute to Orlando massacre victims

A remarkable tribute to the 49 victims of the Orlando gay nightclub massacre has been released by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC).

The 18-minute video – directed by Emmy Award-winning Ryan Murphy and Ned Martel – features a star-studded cast of 49 entertainers who recount individual stories of the people killed in America’s deadliest mass shooting.

The video gives faces and identities to the names of the victims who died in the horrific crime.

“The 49 heroes who lost their lives on June 12 were brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, friends and neighbours, boyfriends and girlfriends, husbands and wives,” said HRC President Chad Griffin.

“They were mostly young and mostly Latinx. But above all, they were human beings who were loved, and who had hopes and dreams for long, full lives.”

In the aftermath of the Orlando massacre, Murphy asked how he could help drive awareness about the dual epidemics of anti-LGBTQ hate violence and gun violence that, together, claimed so many lives at Pulse nightclub. The result was the moving tribute, filmed over the course of three days, at FOX Studios in Los Angeles.

“The hate that stole these 49 individuals from all those who loved them has been allowed to flourish in our country for too long,” said Murphy.

“No person is born hating another, and we have an obligation as Americans to stand up against prejudice and bigotry that would incite violence against someone simply for who they are,” he added.

Viewers are asked to visit stopthehate.hrc.org and take action by supporting victims’ families and survivors through healorlando.org, as well as contacting legislators to demand passage of LGBTQ protections and common-sense gun violence prevention measures.

Watch the tribute below.