Movies - Paris is Burning

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	Movies - Paris is Burning

Paris Is Burning is a 1990 documentary film directed by Jennie Livingston. Filmed in the mid-to-late 1980s, it chronicles the New York City Drag Ball circuit and the poor, African American and Latino gay and transgendered community involved within it.

The film explores the elaborately-structured Ball competitions in which contestants, adhering to a very specific category or theme, must "walk" (much like a fashion model's runway) and subsequently be judged on the "realness" of their drag. For example a "military" category would involve uniforms and outfits that would not parody or lampoon the way an armed forces soldier looks, but instead contain drag that expressed, as close as possible, an accurate representation of someone in the military (i.e. a contestant could walk to the Ball in their drag and actually pass on the street as someone in the military). Contestants vying for trophies are representatives of "Houses" (comparable to a sports team, or a gang) whose fame, influence and popularity within the Ball community was proportional to the number of winning trophies earned. Houses and drag queens who consistently won in their walks eventually earned a "legendary" status.

In explaining the rules of the Balls (and the slang and terminology that goes along with them) the film also shines light on the societal hardships of Ball community members (such as racism, homophobia and poverty) and how these obstacles influence the participants (some are street hustlers, some shoplift clothing to wear in the Balls, some were thrown out of their homes by homophobic parents, some are saving money for sex reassignment surgery, etc.). It follows several participants though candid one-on-one interviews (both in and out of the Balls) to give insight into their lives and struggles, and ultimately the stength and pride they maintain to survive in a "rich, White world."

The film documents the origins of "vogueing", a dance move in which competing Ball-walkers freeze and "pose" in glamorous positions (as if being photographed for the cover of Vogue). Pop star Madonna would, years later, bring the phenomena to the mainstream with her number one song "Vogue".

Upon its release the documentary received rave reviews from critics and won several awards. Outrage ensued, however, when Paris Is Burning failed to earn an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary Feature that year. Long out of print on videocassette, the film was finally released on DVD in 2005, due to popular demand.

Sadly, many of the interviewees and participants in the film are deceased since its 1990 theatrical release, most notably Venus Xtravaganza, who was murdered in the midst of filming.

Awards

1990 IDA Award, International Documentary Association
1990 LAFCA Award Best Documentary, Los Angeles Film Critics Association
1990 Audience Award Best Documentary, San Francisco International Lesbian & Gay Film Festival
1991 Grand Jury Prize Documentary, Sundance Film Festival
1991 Teddy for Best Documentary Film, Berlin International Film Festival
1991 Boston Society of Film Critics Awards (BSFC) Best Documentary
1991 Open Palm Award, Gotham Awards
1991 NYFCC Award Best Documentary, New York Film Critics Circle Awards
1991 Golden Space Needle Award Best Documentary, Seattle International Film Festival
1992 Outstanding Film (Documentary), GLAAD Media Awards
1992 NSFC Award Best Documentary, National Society of Film Critics

Notable personalities in Paris Is Burning

Dorian Corey
Pepper LaBeija
Willi Ninja
Octavia St. Laurent
Angie Xtravaganza
Venus Xtravaganza

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