Genre
Synopsis
Pussy Noir, or Jason Barnes, has been a drag performer in the Nation's Capital for several decades. A classically trained artist, the majority of Mx. Noir’s professional background is in theater and fashion design. This twenty minute vérité documentary looks at the work that Jason is doing at the Kennedy Center’s Culture Caucus, where he has sought to elevate drag onto one of the biggest stages in the region.
The film opens with a montage in which Jason discusses some of his thoughts on fashion’s role in culture. We then take a look at some of the work Jason has done to bring drag to the Kennedy center. Soon, however, Jason will undertake his biggest professional effort to date.
At Jason’s apartment, the sketches and stitching for the show are underway. While sewing, pinning, and embellishing, Jason discusses some of the historic and cultural influences for his work. He draws from the work of Ann Lowe, who was called “the Black Coco Chanel”, the styles featured at New Orleans Quadroon Balls, and William Dorsey Swann, who is known as the country’s first drag queen. Jason continues to test designs with exclusive audiences, and to prep and fit performers for the final showcase at the Kennedy Center.
The final show in the film brings together everything Jason has learned along the way. Drag, couture, and Black history all weave together in Jason’s event. The day of the show and the performances are the end scene of the film, and Jason reflects on his year of work.
Bio
Multiple Emmy Award winning producer and director Amy Oden currently directs the video team at the Human Rights Campaign, where she produces and supervises the production of video content advocating for the LGBTQ+ community. Prior to this role, she was a senior producer and manager of multiplatform strategy at PBS's Maryland Public Television, where she shed light on a variety of social and scientific topics, including the Baltimore uprising, fracking, mass incarceration, and the opioid crisis. Her latest independent short, "Lipstick and Leather" is distributed by PBS's Reel South, and her other recent short "Calasag" was fiscally sponsored by the International Documentary Association, and was granted a fellowship in the Saul Zaentz Innovation Fund at Johns Hopkins. Amy holds a BA in Journalism from the University of Maryland, and an MA in Gender and Media from George Washington University. Her work has won Communicator, Emmy, Davey, and W3 Awards, and she currently serves on the board of Women in Film and Video in Washington, DC.
Screening History
American Documentary and Animation Film Festival 2024
Credits
Cast - Jason Barnes
