Directed by Frank Simon (1968)

More than 40 years before RuPaul's Drag Race, this gutsy, funny, moving, and ground-breaking documentary about the 1967 Miss All-American Camp Beauty Pageant introduced audiences to the world of competitive drag. From all over the Unites States they came, the champions in their local contests, hoping to be named the best drag queen of them all. THE QUEEN is a vibrant piece of queer history.

“I'm just so grateful that this film, and this footage, exists. It's so rare to see queer life documented from this era, and it's certainly a prelude to films on queer life that came after (notably Paris is Burning).” - presenter Clint Bowie