Black Joy Film Fest: THE DEBUTANTES

Come join us for a night of celebration and empowerment at the Black Joy Film Fest:  The Debutantes

SYNOPSIS

Focusing on the first group of Black debutantes in Canton, Ohio in a decade, this documentary follows the young women as they unpack the ball’s legacy and chart their path forward, both for tradition and themselves.

 The Debutante is a Black girl coming-of-age story about an intergenerational group of women and girls revitalizing a long-lost tradition — the debutante ball.

The film follows Canton, Ohio’s first group of Black debutantes in a decade as they prepare for the event: learning to waltz, taking etiquette classes, and securing escorts.

The debutante ball has long been the ultimate manifestation of middle class respectability politics: a presentation to society in line with all that ‘society’ dictates and deems acceptable in appearance and behavior.

96 mins | Directed by Contessa Gayles | 2024