Paris is Burning. Dir. Jennie Livingston. The Criterion Collection, 1990. Kanopy. 78 minutes.
For more information: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_Is_Burning_(film)
Language: English
Subtitles: English (optional)
Setting: 1987-1989 New York City
Remarks: The interweaving of personal stories and queer terminology makes for an informative, empathetic viewing experience. Now that the Library of Congress (as of 2016) has put the film on the National Film Registry, the interviewees have in a small way achieved the fame that they dreamed of. Such a symbolic gesture, though, does not diminish the exclusion and erasure the interviewees faced throughout their lives.
Keywords: AIDS, balls, Black queer, drag, found family
See also: Les Invisibles (for a French perspective)