Paris Is Burning
Having a ball… Wish you were here
Where does voguing come from, and what, exactly, is throwing shade? This landmark documentary provides a vibrant snapshot of the 1980s through the eyes of New York City's African American and Latinx Harlem drag-ball scene. Made over seven years, PARIS IS BURNING offers an intimate portrait of rival fashion "houses," from fierce contests for trophies to house mothers offering sustenance in a world rampant with homophobia, transphobia, racism, AIDS, and poverty. Featuring legendary voguers, drag queens, and trans women — including Willi Ninja, Pepper LaBeija, Dorian Corey, and Venus Xtravaganza.
- Year: 1991
- Country: United Kingdom, United States of America
- Genre: Documentary
- Studio: Art Matters Inc., BBC, Edelman Family Fund, New York Foundation for the Arts, New York State Council on the Arts, Off White Productions Inc., Prestige Films, The Jerome Foundation, The National Endowment for the Arts, The Paul Robeson Fund, WNYC-TV
- Keyword: new york city, transvestism, aids, homophobia, drag queen, male homosexuality, transsexual, subculture, shoplifting, lgbt, drag, woman director, harlem, new york city, black lgbt, 1980s, voguing, ball culture
- Director: Jennie Livingston
- Cast: Pepper LaBeija, Octavia St. Laurent, Venus Xtravaganza, Dorian Corey, Willi Ninja, Paris Dupree
