Paris in flames

Factsheet
Director:Jennie Livingstone
Producer: Jennie Livigstone
Gender: Documentary
Year:1990
Country:USA
Duration:78minutes
Starring: Dorian Corey, Pepper La Beija, Willi Ninja, Octavia St. Laurent, Angie Xtravaganza, Venus Xtravaganza.
Awards: Berlin Film Festival, Society of Boston film, Sundance Film Festival, among others

This is a documentary that seeks to penetrate the trans community of New York's lower classes, through dance competitions (ball) which were undertaken at the mid-eighties, at the end of the "golden age". The trans community is comprised mainly represented by Latinos, African descent, transsexuals, transvestites, transgender, transgender, drag queens, homosexuals, among other identities, plural and diverse.

Competitions are an essential part of the trans community because that shows how they will demonstrate their skills and performing arts, transformation and transgression. Most saves much time to get the clothes and costumes needed to win and excel in the competition. The gateway is where courage is measured and the value of each. This competition has such a great career and have formed the first winners of "houses" of participants, among them are scrambling to get top honors.

The documentary shows us the main protagonists of the houses, their idiosyncrasies, their characteristics. We found the houses Xtravaganza, Ninja, St. Laurent, Labeij, among others. The houses act as a sort of family for trans youth and venture into this world for the first time, arriving from other cities, other countries, who are expelled from their families or waive past lives. That is why this film deserved special attention of feminist Judith Butler just to reflect on the performativity of gender but also to raise the possibility of new forms of family association operating in other marginal areas, as in the field of trans community.

The impact has this subculture in New York is very important as many dance forms and movements that take place here after going to affect the American art scene, as in vogue style, later released by Madonna a song with the same name
Even in the trans community variations are noted, a man who takes his identity permanently as a woman, a transsexual, as the case of Venus Xtravaganza, is driven into prostitution (although not mentioned but never deductible ) gets murdered in a hotel. While Wili Ninja, gay, teaches modeling and dancing with other women, is immortalized with the video of Madonna and her work with Malcolm McLaren.

The film was criticized because the director Livigstone used it as a platform for stardom since he won with over a dozen film prizes and a negligible amount of money is nothing but this had no effect on the improvement of the population they represented, they continued their shortages economic, and denounced the Afro-American feminist activist bell hook at the time. In turn, only some of the participants fulfilled their dreams of fame, but for others these were distorted by the same camera with which he modeled in fantasy to make money, achieve success and reach Hollywood stardom as all they want to be full women, wealthy, recognized her beauty and talent, as human beings. Pointing Another criticism that has been given only accommodate the glamor and has not shown the harsh conditions of life of trans people, in which death of Venus is only one fact among many other daily discrimination, marginalization and violence

Beyond the critical Paris in flames and has transcended as one of the most emblematic documentary on trans community and is required viewing for approach this reality.

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_Is_Burning_(film)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100332/