The Queen | Film Screening

by Cayla Rubin

Before there was Pose, there was RuPaul’s Drag Race, and more than 40 years before RuPaul was teaching you how to love yourself, the documentary The Queen introduced competitive drag to the world. The film is centered around the 1967 Miss All-American Camp Beauty Pageant and showcases backstage exclusive footage as contestants simultaneously throw shade and transform into their drag alter egos. With a flawless panel of judges including Andy Warhol, Larry Rivers and Terry Southern, all organized by LGBTQ+ icon and activist Flawless Sabrina, this film that emulates pure talent will forever be remembered as a vibrant piece of queer history. With images from the original camera negatives, a brand new restoration is being released of The Queen. Take yourself back to a time before Paris is Burning and witness the mother of queer documentaries on the big screen in all of its glory. 


Watch an Outfest Legacy Project Screening of The Queen on Saturday July 20, 7pm at TCL Chinese Theaters