On November 18th, we lost one of the greats – Jack Doroshow / Flawless Sabrina was a fierce role model and pioneer of performance and queer cultures with a legacy that spans 7 decades of advocacy, activism and drag. In 1967 she staged a drag pageant that was documented by director Frank Simon. We will screen the resulting feature, The Queen – which is the first feature-length documentary dedicated to the art of drag – in honor of Sabrina, our reigning queen.

The Queen offers one of the earliest cinematic documentations of a drag ball. Depicting the 1967 Miss All-America Camp Beauty Contest for female impersonators held at Town Hall in New York and organized by “mistress of ceremonies” Flawless Sabrina, the film also features Crystal LaBeija, who would gain greater fame years later for her appearance in Paris Is Burning. The contestants get settled in their hotel rooms, gossip, share beauty secrets, and discuss their backgrounds. Topics of discussion include gay life, sex change operations, problems with the draft, and “husbands” in the service. Andy Warhol judges the competition and Mario Montez makes a guest appearance, singing “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend.”

Presented by Dirty Looks.

Image: Curtis Carman, Drag Icon #5, 8×10”, 2014