Paris is Burning ( film ) - wikipedia Paris is Burning ( film ) For other uses, see Paris Is Burning ( disambiguation ) and Is Paris Burning ? ( disambiguation ). Paris Is Burning DVD cover Directed by Jennie Livingston Produced by Jennie Livingston Starring Dorian Corey Pepper LaBeija Venus Xtravaganza Octavia St. Laurent Willi Ninja Angie Xtravaganza Sol Pendavis Freddie Pendavis Junior Labeija Paris Dupree Cinematography Paul Gibson Edited by Jonathan Oppenheim Production company Academy Entertainment Off White Productions Distributed by Miramax Films Release date August 16, 1991 ( 1991 - 08 - 16 ) Running time 78 minutes Country United States Language English Budget $500,000 Box office $3,779,620 Paris Is Burning is a 1990 American documentary film directed by Jennie Livingston. Filmed in the mid-to - late 1980s, it chronicles the ball culture of New York City and the African - American, Latino, gay, and transgender communities involved in it. Some critics consider the film to be an invaluable documentary of the end of the `` Golden Age '' of New York City drag balls, and a thoughtful exploration of race, class, gender, and sexuality in America. In 2016, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being `` culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant ''. Contents 1 Content 2 Controversy 3 Critical reception 4 Awards 5 References 6 External links Content The film explores the elaborately - structured ball competitions in which contestants, adhering to a very specific category or theme, must `` walk '' ( much like a fashion model 's runway ) and subsequently be judged on criteria including the `` realness '' of their drag, the beauty of their clothing and their dancing ability. Most of the film alternates between footage of balls and interviews with prominent members of the scene, including Pepper LaBeija, Dorian Corey, Angie Xtravaganza, and Willi Ninja. Many of the contestants vying for trophies are representatives of `` Houses '' ( in the fashion - brand sense, such as `` House of Chanel '' ) that serve as intentional families, social groups, and performance teams. Houses and ball contestants who consistently won in their walks eventually earned a `` legendary '' status. Jennie Livingston, who moved to New York after graduating from Yale to work in film, and who spent six years making Paris Is Burning, concentrated on interviews with key figures in the ball world, many of whom contribute monologues that shed light on the ball culture as well as on their own personalities. In the film, titles such as `` house, '' `` mother, '' and `` reading '' emphasize how the subculture the film depicts has taken words from the straight and white worlds, and imbued them with alternate meanings, just as the `` houses '' serve as surrogate families for young ball - walkers whose sexual orientations have sometimes made acceptance and love within their own families hard to come by. The film depicts people with different gender identities or communities and their different forms of expression. It also explores how its subjects dealt with the adversity of racism, homophobia, AIDS and poverty. For example, some, like Venus Xtravaganza became sex workers, some shoplift clothing, and some were thrown out of their homes by homophobic parents. One participant was saving money for sex reassignment surgery. According to Livingston, the documentary is a multi-leveled exploration of a subculture in African American and Latino cultures that proves to be a microcosm of society, which was an underappreciated and arguably underground world that many Americans were unfamiliar with. Through candid one - on - one interviews the film offers insight into the lives and struggles of its subjects and the strength, pride, and humor they maintain to survive in a `` rich, white world. '' Drag is presented as a complex performance of gender, class, and race, in which one can express one 's identity, desires and aspirations along many dimensions. The African - American and Latino community depicted in the film includes a diverse range of identities and gender presentations, from gay men to butch queens to transgender men and women. The film also documents the origins of `` voguing '', a dance style in which competing ball - walkers freeze and `` pose '' in glamorous positions ( as if being photographed for the cover of Vogue ). Artist Malcolm McLaren ( with Mark Moore of S'Express and William Orbit ) would, two years before Paris Is Burning was completed, bring the phenomenon to the mainstream with his song `` Deep in Vogue '', which sampled the movie and directly referenced many of the stars of Paris Is Burning including Pepper LaBeija and featured dancers from the film, including Willi Ninja. The single went to number 1 in the US Billboard Dance Chart. One year after this, Madonna released her number one song `` Vogue '', bringing further attention to the dancing style. However Livingston maintains that the film is not just about `` a cute dance. '' `` This is a film that is important for anyone to see, whether they 're gay or not. It 's about how we 're all influenced by the media ; how we strive to meet the demands of the media by trying to look like Vogue models or by owning a big car. And it 's about survival. It 's about people who have a lot of prejudices against them and who have learned to survive with wit, dignity and energy. It 's a little story about how we all survive. '' Music producers C&C Music Factory sampled some of Paris is Burning in one of the tracks from their Gonna Make You Sweat album, entitled `` Bonus '' or `` Shade ''. Famous drag queen RuPaul has also sampled a few of the quotes from the documentary in her film Starrbooty, as well as on her TV show RuPaul 's Drag Race. Controversy The film received funding from the National Endowment for the Arts during the period when the organization was under fire for funding controversial artists including Robert Mapplethorpe and Andres Serrano. Aware that publicity surrounding her project could result in revoked funding, Livingston avoided releasing many details about the project outside of her small circle of producers and collaborators. Several of the most heavily featured performers wished to sue in 1991 for a share of the film 's profits. Paris DuPree sought the largest settlement : $40 million for unauthorized use of her ball. The producers stated that they had always planned on compensating the principal participants. All dropped their claims after their attorneys confirmed that they had signed releases. The producers then distributed approximately $55,000 among thirteen of the participants. Critical reception Upon release, the documentary received rave reviews from critics and won several awards including a Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize, a Berlin International Film Festival Teddy Bear, an audience award from the Toronto International Film Festival, a GLAAD Media Award, a Women in Film Crystal Award, a Best Documentary award from the Los Angeles, New York, and National Film Critics ' Circles, and it also was named as one of 1991 's best films by the Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, National Public Radio, Time magazine, and others. Paris Is Burning failed to earn an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary Feature that year, adding to a growing perception that certain subjects and treatments were excluded from consideration for Oscars, and leading, in part, to a change in how documentaries are nominated for the Academy Awards. More than two decades later, Paris Is Burning remains an organizing tool for gay and trans youth ; a way for scholars and students to examine issues of race, class, and gender ; a way for younger ball participants to meet their ancestors ; and a portrait of several remarkable Americans, most of whom have died since the film 's production. Some people have criticized Paris Is Burning. In Is Paris Burning ?, bell hooks, a feminist writer who is not LGBT - identified, questioned Livingston 's depiction of the drag balls, arguing that it reduces them to mere spectacle : Much of the film 's focus on pageantry takes the ritual of the black drag ball and makes it spectacle. Ritual is that ceremonial act that carries with it meaning and significance beyond what appears, while spectacle functions primarily as entertaining dramatic display... Hence it is easy for white observers to depict black rituals as spectacle. hooks also questioned the political efficacy of the drag balls themselves, citing her own experimentations with drag, and suggesting that the balls themselves lack political, artistic, and social significance. Judith Butler based some of her book, Bodies that Matter : On the Discursive Limits of `` Sex '', on this film. Awards 1990 -- IDA Award, International Documentary Association 1990 -- LAFCA Award Best Documentary, Los Angeles Film Critics Association 1990 -- Audience Award Best Documentary, San Francisco International Lesbian & Gay Film Festival 1991 -- Grand Jury Prize Documentary, Sundance Film Festival 1991 -- Teddy Award for Best Documentary Film, Berlin International Film Festival 1991 -- Boston Society of Film Critics Awards ( BSFC ) Best Documentary 1991 -- Open Palm Award, now called Breakthrough Director Award Gotham Awards 1991 -- NYFCC Award Best Documentary, New York Film Critics Circle Awards 1991 -- Golden Space Needle Award Best Documentary, Seattle International Film Festival 1992 -- Outstanding Film ( Documentary ), GLAAD Media Awards 1992 -- NSFC Award Best Documentary, National Society of Film Critics 2015 -- Cinema Eye Honours Legacy Award 2016 - Added to the National Film Registry References ^ Jump up to : Paris Is Burning at Box Office Mojo ^ Jump up to : Green, Jesse ( April 18, 1993 ). `` Paris Has Burned ''. The New York Times. Retrieved May 21, 2010. Jump up ^ Levy, Emanuel. `` Paris is Burning ''. Retrieved 10 July 2014. Jump up ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hue8k2zzmGQ Interview of Jennie Livingston and the cast of Paris is burning by Joan Rivers on the Joan Rivers Show ; August 8, 1991 Jump up ^ Seidel, Dena. `` An Interview with Jennie Livingston. '' Films for the Feminist Classroom 1.1 ( 2009 ) : 1 -- 16. Web. 24 Nov. 2012. ^ Jump up to : Koltnow, Barry ( September 4, 1991 ). `` Director says Paris is n't just dance film : Livingston wants people to look at Paris is Burning with and open mind and understanding heart ''. Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved November 30, 2014. Jump up ^ Malcolm McLaren -- Let It Rock Jump up ^ Boykin, Keith. `` Willie Ninja ''. Ohm1.com. Retrieved 2012 - 05 - 31. Jump up ^ Billboard Dance / Club Chart -- July 29 1989. Jump up ^ Grimes, William ( July 13, 1995 ). `` Oscar Rules Change For Documentaries ''. The New York Times. Jump up ^ Martin, Douglas ( May 26, 2003 ). `` Pepper LaBeija, Queen of Harlem Drag Balls, Is Dead at 53 ''. The New York Times. Retrieved June 4, 2014. Jump up ^ Is Paris Burning ? ( PDF ). Jump up ^ Bodies that Matter : On the Discursive Limits of `` Sex ''. Jump up ^ Complete National Film Registry Listing. External links Wikiquote has quotations related to : Paris is Burning Paris Is Burning on IMDb Paris Is Burning at Box Office Mojo From the New Yorker Magazine film file GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Documentary Common Threads : Stories from the Quilt ( 1990 ) Paris is Burning ( 1992 ) Forbidden Love : The Unashamed Stories of Lesbian Lives ( 1994 ) Coming Out Under Fire ( 1995 ) Ballot Measure 9 ( 1996 ) It 's Elementary : Talking About Gay Issues in School ( 1997 ) Paul Monette : The Brink of Summer 's End ( 1998 ) Out of the Past ( 1999 ) Out at Work ( 2000 ) Living with Pride : Ruth C. Ellis ( 2001 ) Scout 's Honor ( 2002 ) Trembling Before G-d ( 2003 ) Brother Outsider : The Life of Bayard Rustin ( 2004 ) `` I 'm Gay and I 'm Getting Married '' ( 2005 ) TransGeneration ( 2006 ) All Aboard ! Rosie 's Family Cruise ( 2007 ) For the Bible Tells Me So ( 2008 ) A Jihad for Love ( 2009 ) Ask Not ( 2010 ) 8 : The Mormon Proposition ( 2011 ) Becoming Chaz ( 2012 ) How to Survive a Plague ( 2013 ) Bridegroom / Call Me Kuchu ( 2014 ) L Word Mississippi : Hate the Sin ( 2015 ) Kumu Hina ( 2016 ) Southwest of Salem : The Story of the San Antonio Four ( 2017 ) Ball culture topics Culture Ball culture Index of LGBT African - American culture Index of LGBT Latino American culture Documentary films How Do I Look Kiki Paris Is Burning Music Electronic dance music House music Aviance Records Dance Vogue Language Banjee Kiki Throw shade Yas Image by William H. Johnson, born Florence, SC 1901 - died Central Islip, NY 1970 House founders Legendary houses & Members House founders ( by house name ) Mother Juan Aviance ( founder of House of Aviance ) Dorian Corey ( founder of House of Corey ) Paris Dupree ( founder of House of Dupree ) Crystal LaBeija ( founder of House of LaBeija ) Kevin Milan ( founder of House of Milan ) Willi Ninja ( founder of House of Ninja ) Hector Xtravaganza -- nė Hector Valle ( founder of House of Xtravaganza ) Legends & Icons Kevin Aviance Mother Juan Aviance William Aviance Dorian Corey Paris Dupree Jymeek Ebony Crystal LaBeija Pepper LaBeija Father Tommie LaBeija Kevin Milan Willi Ninja Octavia St. Laurent Jose Gutierez Xtravaganza Hector Xtravaganza The House of Aviance Mother Juan Aviance ( founder ) Aviance Records ( label ) Daddy Tony Aviance David Ohana Aviance EJ Aviance Erickatoure Aviance Jean Marc Aviance Jean - Philippe Aviance John Aviance Kevin Aviance Koko Aviance Nita Aviance Papa Joe Aviance Perry Aviance Tamsier Joof Aviance William Aviance The House of Corey Dorian Corey ( founder ) The House of Dupree Paris Dupree ( founder ) The House of Ebony Faith Lorenzi - Ebony Jymeek Ebony Kenny Ebony Mariah Lopez Ebony Precious Ebony The House of LaBeija Crystal LaBeija ( founder ) Father Tommie LaBeija Junior LaBeija Pepper LaBeija The House of Milan Kevin Milan ( founder ) Aviance Milan Benjamin Milan Stan Milan The House of Ninja Willi Ninja ( founder ) Archie Burnett Benny Ninja Javier Ninja The House of Omni Kevin Ultra Omni ( founder ) Mohammad Omni The House of St. Laurent Octavia St. Laurent ' The House of Xtravaganza Hector Xtravaganza -- nė Hector Valle ( founder ) Angie Xtravaganza Danni Xtravaganza Derrick Xtravaganza Hector Xtravaganza ( grandfather of House of Xtravaganza ) Jose Gutierez Xtravaganza Lorena Xtravaganza Luis Camacho Xtravaganza Venus Xtravaganza Related topics African culture African dance African - American culture African - American dance LGBT African Americans Imperial Court System Cross dressing ball Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Paris_Is_Burning_(film)&oldid=817419147 '' Categories : 1991 films English - language films 1990 films 1990s documentary films 1990s LGBT - related films LGBT - related coming - of - age films American films American independent films American documentary films LGBT African - American culture American LGBT - related films Documentary films about ball culture Films about fashion Documentary films about race and ethnicity in the United States Documentary films about New York City Films shot in New York City Documentary films about LGBT topics Sundance Film Festival award winners Transgender - related documentary films LGBT history in New York City African - American LGBT - related films African - American films United States National Film Registry films Hidden categories : Use mdy dates from October 2013 Film articles using image size parameter Talk Contents About Wikipedia Wikiquote Deutsch Español فارسی Français Bahasa Indonesia עברית Русский Türkçe Українська Edit links This page was last edited on 28 December 2017, at 07 : 23. 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Question: what is a house in paris is burning
Answer: fashion-brand