Paris is Burning

Music with DJ Matelot Max and performances by Kimmy Dymond and Icesis Couture

Co-presented with GenNext and MAX Ottawa

Jennie Livingstone, 78 minutes, United States, 1991. In English

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 – Paris Is Burning brings it, celebrating the joy of movement, the force of eloquence, and the draw of community.