Made over seven years, Jennie Livingston’s landmark documentary offers a vibrant snapshot of the 1980s through the eyes of New York City’s African American and Latinx Harlem drag ball scene and its rival fashion “houses,” observing fierce contests for trophies and 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 celebrates the joy of movement, the force of eloquence, and the draw of community. Winner of a Sundance Grand Jury Prize (Documentary) in 1991.

“Come however you are, or however you want to be: Upcoming Pretty Girl, Schoolboy/girl Realness, Town and Country, Military, EXECUTIVE REALNESS!!!”—Daniels