Paris Is Burning is a 1990 documentary film directed by Jennie Livingston. Filmed in the mid-to-late '80s, it chronicles the ball culture of New York City and the African-American, Latino, gay, and transgender communities involved. Critics consider the film to be an invaluable documentary of the end of the 'Golden Age' of New York City drag balls.

The film depicts people with different gender identities or communities and their different forms of expression. It also explores how its subjects dealt with the adversity of racism, homophobia, AIDS and poverty. Some became sex workers, some shoplift clothing, and some were thrown out of their homes by homophobic parents. One participant was saving money for sex reassignment surgery. Yet what makes this film significant is its approach. This documentary is a multi-leveled exploration of a subculture in African American and Latino cultures that proves to be a microcosm of society, which was an underappreciated and arguably underground world that many Americans were unfamiliar with.

Most of the film alternates between footage of balls and interviews with prominent members of the scene, including Pepper LaBeija, Dorian Corey, Angie Xtravaganza, and Willi Ninja. Many of the contestants vying for trophies are representatives of "Houses". Through candid interviews the film offers insight into the lives and struggles of its subjects and the strength, pride, and humor they maintain to survive in a "rich, white world." (source)