Paris Is Burning

Name: Paris Is Burning
Genre: Documentary
Released: 1991-03-13
Duration: 1 h 18 min
Rating: 8
Cast: Pepper LaBeija, Octavia St. Laurent, Venus Xtravaganza, Dorian Corey, Willi Ninja

1991·Movie·R·78 min·★ 8.0(547)

Documentary More English titles

“Having a ball… Wish you were here”

Where does voguing come from, and what, exactly, is throwing shade? This landmark documentary provides a vibrant snapshot of the 1980s through the eyes of New York City's African American and Latinx Harlem drag-ball scene. Made over seven years, PARIS IS BURNING offers an intimate portrait of rival fashion "houses," from fierce contests for trophies to house mothers offering sustenance in a world rampant with homophobia, transphobia, racism, AIDS, and poverty. Featuring legendary voguers, drag queens, and trans women — including Willi Ninja, Pepper LaBeija, Dorian Corey, and Venus Xtravaganza.

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Click a service to open Paris Is Burning there. Availability last verified on July 11, 2026.

Where is Paris Is Burning streaming around the world?

Country	Streaming on	Rent / Buy
United States	HBO Max Amazon Channel, YouTube TV, Criterion Channel, HBO Max	Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
United Kingdom	BBC iPlayer	—
Canada	Criterion Channel, Crave, Tubi TV, CTV	Apple TV Store

About Paris Is Burning

Paris Is Burning is a 1991 English-language documentary film directed by Jennie Livingston. The cast is led by Pepper LaBeija, Octavia St. Laurent, Venus Xtravaganza. It has a runtime of 1h 18m. Viewers rate it 8.0/10 across 500 ratings. In United States, it is currently streaming on HBO Max Amazon Channel, YouTube TV, Criterion Channel.

Paris Is Burning was produced by Off White Productions and made in United States of America. It was released on March 13, 1991, and carries a R certification. Made on a budget of about $1 million, it went on to gross $4 million worldwide.

Director: Jennie Livingston
Release date: March 13, 1991
Original language: English
Age rating: R
Status: Released
Country: United States of America
Budget: $1 million
Box office: $4 million
Production: Off White Productions

#new york city#transvestism#aids#homophobia#drag queen#male homosexuality#transsexual#subculture#shoplifting#lgbt#drag#woman director#harlem, new york city#black lgbt

Paris Is Burning cast & crew

Paris Is Burning was directed by Jennie Livingston.

The cast features Pepper LaBeija as Self, Octavia St. Laurent as Self, Venus Xtravaganza as Self, Dorian Corey as Self, Willi Ninja as Self, and Paris Dupree as Self.

Behind the camera, cinematography is by Paul Gibson and it was produced by Jennie Livingston and Barry Swimar.

Is Paris Is Burning worth watching?

Paris Is Burning holds an audience score of 8.0/10 from 547 ratings, ranking it among the most acclaimed documentary films.

At 1h 18m, it's an easy, time-light watch.

If you enjoy documentary, Paris Is Burning is worth a place on your watchlist.

How and where to watch Paris Is Burning

In United States, you can stream Paris Is Burning on HBO Max Amazon Channel, YouTube TV, Criterion Channel, HBO Max, and Shout! Factory TV, or rent and buy it on Apple TV Store and Fandango At Home. Click any service above to open it directly.

Streaming rights change country by country and month by month, so the options above reflect United States today — switch your country at the top of the where-to-watch section to see availability elsewhere.