Arts & Entertainment
‘Paris’ will ‘burn’ again, now with unseen footage
Fans of “Paris is Burning” are about to discover a whole new treasure trove of footage from the seminal 1990 documentary, thanks to Criterion.
The Criterion Collection, which focuses on licensing “important classic and contemporary films,” announced its roster of new releases for February 2020, and one of them will be none other than the now iconic documentary about New York’s underground ballroom culture. It will get the full Criterion treatment, which includes not only a restoration, but about an hour of previously unseen footage.
“Paris is Burning” chronicles the mid-to-late 1980s ball culture in New York City led by black and brown gay and transgender communities. The film includes extensive interviews from trans women such as Venus Xtravaganza – who was murdered before the film was finished – and Octavia St. Laurent. It also introduced now-familiar slang like “reading” and “shade” into the public consciousness, courtesy of Dorian Corey.
On the disc will be a new 2K digital restoration of the project, executed by the UCLA Film & Television Archive, the Sundance Institute, and Outfest UCLA Legacy Project and overseen by original director Jennie Livingston. This new version saw a limited release in theaters this past summer and is now set to hit Blu-ray in the new Criterion edition.
The newly-released footage is eagerly awaited by members of the ballroom community, who have long been pressuring Livingston to release it.
Besides the restoration and the previously unseen material, the disc will come with several other bonus features. An audio commentary will be included, as well as a conversation between Livingston, filmmaker Thomas Allen Harris, and ball community members Sol Pendavis and Freddie Pendavis – both of whom were featured in the original film.
A 1991 episode of “The Joan Rivers Show,” which featured Livingston and ball community members Corey, Pepper LaBeija, Freddie Pendavis, and Willi Ninja will also be included.
“Paris is Burning” was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress in 2016 for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.
The new Criterion edition will be available February 25, 2020.
The Freddie’s Follies drag show was held at Freddie’s Beach Bar in Arlington, Va. on Saturday, Jan. 3. Performers included Monet Dupree, Michelle Livigne, Shirley Naytch, Gigi Paris Couture and Shenandoah.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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Queer highlights of the 2026 Critics Choice Awards: Aunt Gladys, that ‘Heated Rivalry’ shoutout and more
Amy Madigan’s win in the supporting actress category puts her in serious contention to win the Oscar for ‘Weapons’
From Chelsea Handler shouting out Heated Rivalry in her opening monologue to Amy Madigan proving that horror performances can (and should) be taken seriously, the Critics Choice Awards provided plenty of iconic moments for queer movie fans to celebrate on the long road to Oscar night.
Handler kicked off the ceremony by recapping the biggest moments in pop culture last year, from Wicked: For Good to Sinners. She also made room to joke about the surprise hit TV sensation on everyone’s minds: “Shoutout to Heated Rivalry. Everyone loves it! Gay men love it, women love it, straight men who say they aren’t gay but work out at Equinox love it!”
The back-to-back wins for Jacob Elordi in Frankenstein and Amy Madigan in Weapons are notable, given the horror bias that awards voters typically have. Aunt Gladys instantly became a pop culture phenomenon within the LGBTQ+ community when Zach Cregger’s hit horror comedy released in August, but the thought that Madigan could be a serious awards contender for such a fun, out-there performance seemed improbable to most months ago. Now, considering the sheer amount of critics’ attention she’s received over the past month, there’s no denying she’s in the running for the Oscar.
“I really wasn’t expecting all of this because I thought people would like the movie, and I thought people would dig Gladys, but you love Gladys! I mean, it’s crazy,” Madigan said during her acceptance speech. “I get [sent] makeup tutorials and paintings. I even got one weird thing about how she’s a sex icon also, which I didn’t go too deep into that one.”
Over on the TV side, Rhea Seehorn won in the incredibly competitive best actress in a drama series category for her acclaimed performance as Carol in Pluribus, beating out the likes of Emmy winner Britt Lower for Severance, Carrie Coon for The White Lotus, and Bella Ramsey for The Last of Us. Pluribus, which was created by Breaking Bad’s showrunner Vince Gilligan, has been celebrated by audiences for its rich exploration of queer trauma and conversion therapy.
Jean Smart was Hack’s only win of the night, as Hannah Einbinder couldn’t repeat her Emmy victory in the supporting actress in a comedy series category against Janelle James, who nabbed a trophy for Abbott Elementary. Hacks lost the best comedy series award to The Studio, as it did at the Emmys in September. And in the limited series category, Erin Doherty repeated her Emmy success in supporting actress, joining in yet another Adolescence awards sweep.
As Oscar fans speculate on what these Critics Choice wins mean for future ceremonies, we have next week’s Golden Globes ceremony to look forward to on Jan. 11.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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