Paris Is Burning (Jennie Livingston, 1991) captures the energy, ambition, wit, and struggle of African-American and Latino participants in the 1980s New York drag ball scene. This book contextualizes the film within the longer history of drag balls, the practices of documentary, the fervor of the culture wars, and the development of queer theory and critical race studies.

Lucas Hilderbrand: Lucas Hilderbrand is associate professor of film and media studies and queer studies at the University of California, Irvine. He is the author of Inherent Vice: Bootleg Histories of Videotape and Copyright and numerous essays on queer media histories. He is currently researching a book on the history of gay bars in the U.S.

Synopsis
Credits
Introduction: Love is the Message
One: To Be Real (The Film)
Two: Deep in Vogue (The Release)
Three: Love Hangover (The Debates)
References
Filmography
Index