Unseen Paris Is Burning Footage Is Being Released in 2020

Fans of Paris Is Burning will be pleased to hear that a remastered and extended version of Jennie Livingston’s seminal 1990 documentary is on the way, just in time for the film’s 30th anniversary. Shot over the course of seven years in the 1980s, Paris Is Burning documented the golden age of New York City’s drag balls, providing an unprecendented insight into the performances, lives and dreams of the black and latinx LGBTQ+ communities who formed ball culture. The film’s lasting influence is perhaps felt today more than ever, as TV shows like RuPaul’s Drag Race and Pose have brought drag and ball culture to television screens the world over. Criterion’s extended and 2K-restored version promises an extra hour of previously unseen footage, audio commentary, and recorded conversations between Livingston, filmmaker Thomas Allen Harris and ballroom members and Paris Is Burning stars Sol Pendavis and Freddie Pendavis, as well as a clip from the cast’s appearance on The Joan Rivers Show.

The extended version of Paris Is Burning is available to pre-order now from Criterion, ahead of its release in February 2020.