Documentary
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, transphobia, racism, AIDS, and poverty. Featuring legendary voguers, drag queens, and trans women — including Willi Ninja, Pepper LaBeija, Dorian Corey, and Venus Xtravaganza.
MOVIE COMMENTS
SIMILAR MOVIES
Olympia: Part One – Festival of the Nations
Olympia: Part Two – Festival of Beauty
The People of the Kattawapiskak River
Santra and the Talking Trees
Favorite Daughter
Tarnation
Full Metal Village
Looking for Johnny
Born Into Brothels: Calcutta's Red Light Kids
God's Ways
Facial Weaponization Communiqué: Fag Face
Julia
The Story of the Weeping Camel
Wig
The Divided Soul of America
Brené Brown: The Call to Courage
Hating Peter Tatchell
The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness
I Am a Girl
AIDS Diva: The Legend of Connie Norman
SIMILAR MOVIES
Olympia: Part One – Festival of the Nations
IMDB 6.9 | Apr , 1938
Commissioned to make a propaganda film about the 1936 Olympic Games in Germany, director Leni Riefenstahl created a celebration of the human form. This first half of her two-part film opens with a renowned introduction that compares modern Olympians to classical Greek heroes, then goes on to provide thrilling in-the-moment coverage of some of the games' most celebrated moments, including African-American athlete Jesse Owens winning a then-unprecedented four gold medals.Olympia: Part Two – Festival of Beauty
IMDB 6.8 | Jun , 1938
Commissioned to make a propaganda film about the 1936 Olympic Games in Germany, director Leni Riefenstahl created a celebration of the human form. Where the two-part epic's first half, Festival of the Nations, focused on the international aspects of the 1936 Olympic Games held in Berlin, part two, The Festival of Beauty, concentrates on individual athletes such as equestrians, gymnasts, and swimmers, climaxing with American Glenn Morris' performance in the decathalon and the games' majestic closing ceremonies.The People of the Kattawapiskak River
IMDB 0 | Oct , 2012
Alanis Obomsawin’s documentary The People of the Kattawapiskak River exposes the housing crisis faced by 1,700 Cree in Northern Ontario, a situation that led Attawapiskat’s band chief, Theresa Spence, to ask the Canadian Red Cross for help. With the Idle No More movement making front page headlines, this film provides background and context for one aspect of the growing crisis.Santra and the Talking Trees
IMDB 0 | Jan , 2013
Fate brings a young woman to idyllic Karelia in Russia, near the Russian-Finnish border. She meets an old woman, Santra, who represents the only remaining link to the Karelian culture of her ancestors. This film is about the difficulty and beauty of finding a home.Favorite Daughter
IMDB 8 | Sep , 2022
A grandmother, mother, and daughter quarantine together in a Tribeca apartment as they laugh about life over wine.Tarnation
IMDB 6.9 | Oct , 2003
Filmmaker Jonathan Caouette's documentary on growing up with his schizophrenic mother -- a mixture of snapshots, Super-8, answering machine messages, video diaries, early short films, and more -- culled from 19 years of his life.Full Metal Village
IMDB 6.7 | Apr , 2007
The film describes the microcosmos of the small village Wacken and shows the clash of the cultures, before and during the biggest heavy metal festival in Europe.Looking for Johnny
IMDB 6.6 | Jun , 2014
Johnny Thunders was the legendary hard-living rock'n'roll guitarist who inspired glam-metal, punk and the music scene in general. 'Looking For Johnny' is a 90-minute film that documents Thunders' career from his beginnings to his tragic death in 1991. The film examines Johnny Thunders' career from the early 70's as a founding member of the influential New York Dolls; the birth of the punk scene with The Heartbreakers in New York City and London; Gang War and The Oddballs. It also explores Johnny's unique musical style, his personal battle with drugs and theories on his death in a New Orleans hotel in 1991 at age 38. The film includes forty songs with historic film of Johnny, including unseen New York Dolls and Heartbreakers footage and photos. Cult filmmakers Bob Gruen, Don Letts, Patrick Grandperret, Rachael Amadeo and others contribute classic archive footage.Born Into Brothels: Calcutta's Red Light Kids
IMDB 6.8 | Dec , 2004
Documentary depicting the lives of child prostitutes in the red light district of Songachi, Calcutta. Director Zana Briski went to photograph the prostitutes when she met and became friends with their children. Briski began giving photography lessons to the children and became aware that their photography might be a way for them to lead better lives.God's Ways
IMDB 10 | Nov , 2006
A dual portrait of young drifters on the streets of Odessa, where every day seems the same and the future keeps getting further away.Facial Weaponization Communiqué: Fag Face
IMDB 5.5 | Nov , 2016
Facial Weaponization Suite protests against biometric facial recognition–and the inequalities these technologies propagate–by making “collective masks” in workshops that are modeled from the aggregated facial data of participants, resulting in amorphous masks that cannot be detected as human faces by biometric facial recognition technologies.Julia
IMDB 0 | Aug , 2013
Julia is a young transgender woman who left her home country of Lithuania. Now living in Germany, she walks the streets of Berlin, working as a prostitute to survive. This documentary revisits Julia over a ten-year period of her life.The Story of the Weeping Camel
IMDB 7.1 | Jun , 2003
When a Mongolian nomadic family's newest camel colt is rejected by its mother, a musician is needed for a ritual to change her mind.Wig
IMDB 5.8 | May , 2019
Spotlighting the art of drag, and centered on the New York staple Wigstock, this documentary showcases the personalities and performances that inform the ways we understand queerness, art and identity today.The Divided Soul of America
IMDB 6.3 | Jan , 2019
Under the Trump administration, USA is a deeply divided country. One side feeds populism and religious rectitude in a monochromatic landscape, painted white, lamenting for a past that never will return. The other side fuels diversity and multiculturalism, a biased vision of a progressive future, quite unlikely. Both sides are constantly confronted, without listening to each other. Only a few reasonable people gather to change this potentially dangerous situation.Brené Brown: The Call to Courage
IMDB 7.1 | Apr , 2019
Brené Brown is a research professor at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work. She has spent more than a decade studying vulnerability, courage, authenticity and shame. With two TED talks under her belt, Brené Brown brings her humor and empathy to Netflix to discuss what it takes to choose courage over comfort in a culture defined by scarcity, fear and uncertainty.Hating Peter Tatchell
IMDB 4.2 | Nov , 2021
The powerful and inspiring true story of the controversial human rights campaigner whose provocative acts of civil diso bedience rocked the British establishment, revolutionised attitudes to homosexuality and exposed world tyrants. As social attitudes change and history vindicates Peter's stance on gay rights, his David versus Goliath battles gradually win him status as a national treasure. The film follows Peter as he embarks on his riskiest crusade yet by seeking to disrupt the FIFA World Cup in Moscow to draw attention to the persecution of LGBT+ people in Russia and Chechnya.The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness
IMDB 7.6 | Nov , 2013
Follows the behind-the-scenes work of Studio Ghibli, focusing on the notable figures Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, and Toshio Suzuki.I Am a Girl
IMDB 5.8 | Aug , 2013
Six girls coming of age, ready to become something extraordinary.AIDS Diva: The Legend of Connie Norman
IMDB 0 | Mar , 2021
Seizing her power as she confronts her mortality, trailblazing trans activist Connie Norman evolves as an irrepressible, challenging and soulful voice for the AIDS and queer communities of early 90's Los Angeles.