In a brilliant display of eyeliner, vogueing and fur, COD’s Free Film Series kick-started into the spring semester with the vibrant 1991 documentary “Paris is Burning.” The series will feature three films over three months in BIC 1437. Like the previous semester, the films are projected onto the big screen and are followed by a Q&A session with a Film Studies professor.
For the March selection last Thursday, “Paris is Burning” was featured by film professor Britta Hanson. This 1990 documentary by Jennie Livingston showcases the ballroom subculture within New York City, which primarily encompassed Black and Brown LGBTQ+ individuals.
During the shows, contestants would dress in ornate costumes and perform various walks and dance moves around a stage, earning trophies and notoriety if they won.
Hanson said, “I’ve had many students ask if this is like RuPaul’s Drag Race. And it is. This is the culture which RuPaul was coming from.”
The film centered around the founders and members of various drag ‘houses,’ an ode to high fashion. They often took on the names of their founders, such as the House of Xtravaganza and the House of LaBeija.
Not only did these groups serve as ballroom teams, but these were community groups of respite for trans people. Many of the younger members were socially ostracized and kicked out of their homes because of their gender expression.
As such, the founders were nicknamed “mothers” for providing shelter, food and support to young trans people, a term popular within the American lexicon today.
“These individuals were facing really harsh conditions, even in a progressive city like New York, barely making ends meet for being out as who they are,” said Hanson.
The film was a heart-wrenching yet hopeful look into the vibrant ballroom subculture, detailing community in a hostile and unforgiving world. The film’s beauty and glamor not only lies in the brilliant costumes and makeup but also in the vulnerability and perseverance amongst its stars.
“I chose “Paris is Burning” because it is a film that portrays the LGBTQ+ community in both a positive and realistic light, plus it is an excellent fit for the end of Black History Month,” Hanson said. “I think it is important for students of color and LGBTQ+ students to get a sense of where their communities have come from. Plus it’s a great film, to boot!”
The film was revolutionary at the time for capturing this underground subculture, bringing an unknown community into the mainstream. Its impact was widespread, and “Paris Is Burning” was added to the Library of Congress’ Film Registry in 2016 for its cultural significance.
Film Studies Professor Brian Brems and the rest of the film department hope these showings will provide a richer appreciation of the beauty of cinema when projected on the big screen.
“We got the new screening room in fall 2023 after experiencing a ton of enrollment growth in film classes,” Brems said. “The goal is to build a thriving cinema culture at COD.”
And it looks like this plan is working. During the Thursday showing, there was a great turnout of students and faculty members within the theater. The free screenings are available for any community member of College of DuPage, and registration is not required.
“Events like this are for students, faculty members, and also community members. It is so much better to experience a film under these conditions. The way we view images has become so degraded, like watching movies on a phone. The screening room environment demands attention and is closer to how films were meant to be seen,” Brems concluded.
There will be two more screenings, both hosted on Thursdays. On March 21 at 4:30 p.m., “Wanda” by Barbara Loden will be shown. The movie is about a desperate housewife who unknowingly enters into a heist. On April 18 at 7:00 p.m., another film named “Heat” by Michael Mann will be screened; it is about the relationship between a robber and a police officer as they both try to outwit the other. Both screenings will be in the BIC 1437 film theater.
The Film Department is also hosting other collaborations with various clubs and departments.
This includes a screening of “The Parallax View”(1974, Pakula) on April 11th at 4 p.m. for Humanities Fest. Later that day, at 7 p.m., the Film Noir movie “Scarlet Street” (1945, Lang) co-presented with The Page Turners. Then, on Monday, April 22nd at 4:30 p.m., there will be a showing of Broken Lance (1954, Dmytryk), which is an adaptation of King Lear.
Contact Professor Brems at [email protected] for additional information.
