Paris Is Burning (1990)
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The film chronicles the ball culture of New York City and the African-American, Latino, gay and transgender communities involved in it.
The story
Filmed over a period of seven years from the mid-to-late 1980s, the documentary explores the elaborately structured ball competitions in New York City. These events serve as sites for performance, fame, and exclusive celebrity status within a subculture of queer Black and Latino individuals who are often excluded from mainstream culture. The film alternates between footage of these balls and interviews with prominent members of the scene, exploring their lives, their 'houses' as surrogate families, and the specific cultural meanings of terms like 'mother' and 'legendary' within their community.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
The film documents the ball culture of New York City during the mid-to-late 1980s, focusing on the African-American, Latino, gay, and transgender communities. It explores the structured ball competitions where participants compete for 'realness' and 'legendary' status within 'houses' that act as surrogate families. The documentary features interviews with key figures like Dorian Corey and Willi Ninja, exploring their lives, the emergence of 'voguing', and the struggle against AIDS, racism, and homophobia. The narrative includes the tragic story of Venus Xtravaganza, who was found murdered, and the community's efforts to survive in a 'rich, white world.' It highlights the role of drag as a complex performance of identity and the creation of a unique subculture with its own language and social structures.
- First release year
- 1990
- Runtime (minutes)
- 78
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Jennie Livingston
- Cast and characters
- Dorian Corey; Pepper LaBeija; Venus Xtravaganza; Octavia St. Laurent; Willi Ninja; Angie Xtravaganza; Freddie Pendavis; Junior Labeija
- Genres
- documentary; LGBTQ-related films
- Themes
- identity; community; survival; race; gender; sexuality
- Tone and mood
- observational; poignant
- Premise and plot tags
- LGBTQ+; Ball Culture; Voguing; Documentary
- Reception
- The film received overwhelmingly positive reviews from a number of mainstream and independent presses, and it has been ranked by numerous publications as one of the greatest documentary films of all time. It was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry in 2016.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 99% · review count: 120; Metacritic · score: 82 · scale: 100 · review count: 22
- Awards and nominations
- IDA Award · International Documentary Association · 1990 · win; LAFCA Award Best Documentary · Los Angeles Film Critics Association · 1990 · win; Audience Award Best Documentary · San Francisco International Lesbian & Gay Film Festival · 1990 · win; Grand Jury Prize Documentary · Sundance Film Festival · 1991 · win; Boston Society of Film Critics Awards (BSFC) Best Documentary · Boston Society of Film Critics · 1991 · win; Open Palm Award · Gotham Awards · 1991 · win; NYFCC Award Best Documentary · New York Film Critics Circle Awards · 1991 · win; Golden Space Needle Award Best Documentary · Seattle International Film Festival · 1991 · win; Outstanding Film (Documentary) · GLAAD Media Awards · 1992 · win; NSFC Award Best Documentary · National Society of Film Critics · 1992 · win; Cinema Eye Honours Legacy Award · Cinema Eye · 2015 · win
- Production trivia
- The film was shot on expensive 16mm film.; It cost almost as much to clear the music as it did to shoot and edit the entire film.; The film was a primary inspiration for the TV series Pose.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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