Black Divaz
A sassy, intimate portrait of what it means to be an Indigenous drag queen today.
Black Divaz follows the six contestants competing in the inaugural Miss First Nations Pageant. Over five steamy days, they will battle it out in fierce lip-syncing battles, and face photo shoots with crocodiles and challenges that will see each contestant stretch more than just their wardrobe choices. What does it take to be crowned the winner? We follow each competitor as they talk candidly about what brought them to this glittering stage – their triumphs and tragedies and what being Miss First Nations means for them and their communities. Black Divaz goes beyond the glitz, glue guns and glamour of black drag to reveal a fun, fabulous and sometimes fearful place. This one-of-a-kind documentary offers a sassy, intimate portrait of what it means to be an Indigenous drag queen today.
Images: Joseph Mayers
Cast
Crystal Love , John Ridgeway (Jojo Zaho) , Daniel Cunningham (Marzi Panne) , Dallas Webster (Nova Gina) , Shaun Kernaiea (Shaniqua Tiwisista) , Ben Graetz
Director
Writer
Producer
Producer
Music
Cinematography
Cinematography
Cinematography
Film Editor
Language
English
Country
Australia
Bonus Content
Introduction Black Divaz
1mCurator of the Buwindja Collection, Gillian Moody shares what inspired her to select Black Divaz. She invites you to engage, explore, reflect on and Buwindja (remember) these exceptional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and stories.
In Conversation
19mGillian Moody, Curator of Buwindja, sits down with Pauline Clague, filmmaker and Associate Professor, Jumbunna, UTS, as they take a deep dive into the rich history of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander storytelling in screen culture. They reflect on how the films in the Buwindja Collection showcase eras of change in filmmaking with fascinating insights into the dramatic shift from stories being told about First Nations peoples to Indigenous filmmakers telling their own stories. As Pauline powerfully states, it is now the case that ’Nothing about us without us’”.