christie pits film festival
Sunday, July 10, 2022

Paris is burning

With the short film Haus

Jennie Livingston’s legendary documentary Paris Is Burning gave audiences an in-depth look at Harlem's history-changing ballroom drag culture of the 1980s. Forged by Black and Latinx members of the 2SLGBTQIAP community, these boundary-breaking spaces offered temporary safety from a world rife with racism, transphobia and homophobia, showcasing Queer joy and creative expression. The film highlights the community’s drag Mothers, legendary ball-walkers and heads of extravagant Houses who laid the foundation for generations of drag families performing - and growing - today. The impact of ball culture – and this film as historical artifact – has been seen in pop culture over the past four decades, from Madonna’s Vogue and Beyoncé’s I Am... Sasha Fierce, to the massive mainstream influence today of docu-drama series such as POSE, Legendary, and RuPaul's Drag Race.

Short film Haus is a glimpse into the life of a Black queer boy marginalized by a world not designed to protect them. Makai and his best friend Trevon, played exquisitely by Mark-Che Devonish and James Bailey respectively, have a unique and undeniable onscreen chemistry, welcoming the audience to instinctively react with joy when they celebrate small wins or protectively when the boys feel threatened. Directed by Toronto’s own Joseph Amenta, Haus shines a spotlight on the city's underground Kiki ballroom scene, and highlights the importance of chosen family.

Paris Is Burning was presented with the option of live audio description, as an accessibility feature for blind, low vision, or visually impaired audience members. Those who wished to access this feature could bring their own earbuds and device to call in to TOPS' zoom feed where they heard the describer in real time. Audio description provided by Rena Altman.

Please note that this feature was offered for the first time at a TOPS screening, as an opportunity to test its success in the hope of being able to offer it more in future years.