Paris Is Burning: Hosted by Maggie Mae Fish + Q&A w/ Kat Blaque
- Tue, Sep 15
The Frida Cinema's seating is first-come, first-serve. For our Midnight Screenings, please plan on arriving by 11:30pm to ensure ample time for parking, picking up concessions, and securing optimal seats. Screening will begin promptly at midnight.
Director: Jennie Livingston Run Time: 78 min. Release Year: 1991
Starring: Dorian Corey, Octavia St. Laurent, Pepper LaBeija, Venus Xtravaganza, Willi Ninja
Paris Is Burning is coming back to The Frida Cinema as part of our Nu-Classics series, hosted by Maggie Mae Fish! And this month, her guest is Kat Blaque! Stick around after the film for a conversation between the two of them!
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 and 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.
Digitally remastered by the UCLA Film and Television Archive in conjunction with Sundance Institute and Outfest UCLA Legacy Project. Preservation funded by Sundance Institute, Outfest and the Andrew J. Kuehn Jr. Foundation.