Why Aren’t You Watching “Paris Is Burning” at This Exact Minute?

“I went to a lot of balls with a still camera and took pictures. And I thought it’d be a great photography project because it was so visual, but the more I got ahold of what was happening and who the people were, the more I realized that this was not a photography project. This [was] about story and movement and all the things that were worth caring about. All of the things that James Baldwin wrote about were in this ballroom. How do we construct our identity? How do you live in a consumerist society while not having access? How do you love yourself when you don’t look like what society says you’re supposed to look like?”
 — Jennie Livingston talks to Saeed Jones about her (perfect) “Paris is Burning” documentary (it’s on Netflix and in your heart), the associated controversy, and her new project, “Earth Camp One”.