Paris is Burning

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.

“[The] resilience of Black and Latinx queer, trans, and gender-nonconforming people—their ability to persist in self-affirmation, in the face of forces, both personal and impersonal, that are attempting to deny their very humanity—is the thematic core of “Paris Is Burning,” and it remains key to its enduring appeal.” – Michelle Parkerson, The Criterion Collection

Winner of the 1991 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize. Presented with Summit Pride and Mountain Mediation for Pride Month.

Join us after the film for a community conversation facilitated by Mountain Mediation – a space for audience members to delve more deeply into the themes of film. Part of the Raising Voices Film Series with grant support from Park City Chamber and Park City Municipal. Admission is free.

IMDb Info