From Barbette to Fontaine – Dallas Voice

Cynthia Lee Fontaine in “Barbette”

Texas drag performer Cynthia Lee Fontaine stars in a new documentary about legendary Texas drag performer Barbette

JENNY BLOCK | Contributing Author
[email protected]

Sometimes it’s the smallest things that have the biggest impact. That’s certainly the case with the new documentary Barbette + Fontainewhich tells the story of drag pioneer Barbette, who performed all over the world, especially in Paris.

But their story began right here in Texas, in the city of Round Rock.

The film takes a look at her origins, “how she pushed the boundaries of art and gender illusion, and why her story matters today—more than ever,” and all of this is explored first-person through the eyes of Cynthia Lee Fontaine, a modern-day drag queen who many may know from RuPaul’s Drag Race.

Fontaine met the film’s director, John-Carlos Estrada, at a RuPaul’s Drag Race event in Austin a year ago. “That night, he told me that he and his team were working on a possible idea for a project about a documentary,” Fontaine said. He later met with Estrada and “to my surprise, the meeting was an invitation to appear as part of the story for the documentary,” Fontaine said.

There couldn’t be a more crucial time to produce or release this film, Estrada explains. “We shot at a very tense moment for the LGBTQ community, particularly drag entertainers and transgender Texans, as the state legislature voted last summer to restrict the rights of these individuals. That context gives the film an extra level of poignancy, especially during Cynthia Lee Fontaine’s emotional visit to Barbette’s grave.”

Estrada and Fontaine recently answered some questions for Dallas Voice.

Three questions for John-Carlos Estrada

Dallas Voice: What inspired you to make this film? John-Carlos Estrada: The inspiration for Barbette + Fontaine came to me in a dream. In August 2022, I was reporting for CBS Austin on a profile of a new Barbette exhibit that had opened in Georgetown, Texas. A few weeks after the broadcast, I had a vivid dream in which I was watching a Barbette performance and then found myself backstage with him. In the dream, he urged me to reintroduce him to the world 100 years later.

About a year later, I came full circle while doing archival research on Barbette in Paris and New York City. I discovered a letter Barbette had written to a journalist friend in New York City a few months before his death in 1973. In the letter, he expressed, “Sometimes I wish I could write about my life, but I never will. I never will because I would be too afraid of doing something second-rate.” This poignant discovery further strengthened my resolve to honor his legacy.

Juan Carlos Estrada

What do you hope the viewers of this film will take away? I hope that viewers not only learn about the wonderful lives of Barbette and Cynthia Lee Fontaine, but also realize that Texas drag is an integral part of our cultural fabric and helps make our state so special. It deserves to be celebrated, not hidden.

There are so many forgotten LGBTQ+ icons who deserve their time in the spotlight. We hope our film encourages viewers to do their own research and honor the names of people like Barbette, Jim Bailey, Gowongo Mohawk, William Dorsey Swann and Sylvia Rivera.

What surprised you about making this film? It was eye-opening to see how friends, families and strangers reacted to Barbette + Fontaine. It reminded me of the profound effect a well-made documentary can have on people’s perceptions. Last month I held a private screening for a friend who leans Republican. After the film, she said, “Wow. I get it.” And by “it,” she meant the art of drag. She saw that drag entertainers are artists, not criminals, as they are often falsely labeled by some on the conservative right.

At our world premiere in Boston, at the 40th annual Wicked Queer: Boston LGBTQ+ Film Festival—the fourth longest-running LGBTQ+ film festival in North America—a lesbian couple approached me after the Q&A. One of them, originally from Waco, not far from Barbette’s hometown of Round Rock, thanked me for sharing their story. She said, “If I had role models from Texas LGBTQ+ icons like Barbette, I might have come out earlier in my life.” It encouraged me and my co-director Zak Zeh to continue telling these important stories.

Three questions for Cynthia Lee Fontaine

Cynthia Lee Fontaine

Dallas Voice: Why was it important to you to be part of this film? Cynthia Lee Fontaine: I want to showcase not only the art of drag, but also Barbette’s legacy through her story and my story. I want the world to experience, learn and understand that drag is an extraordinary art and that its main purpose is to entertain.

Unfortunately, this art and our drag performing community have been under attack since last year by a group of conservatives and a group of lawmakers who claim that what we do is damaging to society. This great film shows how beautiful this art is. Drag is not a crime. Drag is art. Drag is love. Drag is entertainment.

What has being involved in drag meant to you throughout your life? With nearly 25 years in the entertainment business, 18 years as a drag performer, and 20 years as an activist for the queer community, HIV, cancer, and other important causes in our society, I care about action. Action means leading with change, with positive outcomes for those who need a voice, equality, representation, visibility, love, and respect.

This is why I will continue to advocate for my LGBTQI+ community and use my platform to fight for our rights. This film is a loud voice of two stories that everyone needs to see, especially those who don’t understand this art.

What was it like seeing this movie for the first time? It was very emotional for me because when we filmed the documentary, I was recovering from my hip replacement surgery due to avascular bone necrosis (AVN) caused by the chemotherapy I received years ago when I was battling stage 1 liver cancer. I am happy to say that my cancer is in remission, I am very healthy and I can walk in high heels.

It has always been my dream to make a documentary and seeing the result of all the hard work and dedication on screen was a moment of validation for me personally and for the entire documentary film team.

Watch the trailer YouTube.com/watch?v=Iqdjn21T-Ro. The film will be screened on July 19 at the Texas Music Café as part of the Waco Independent Film Festival. Additional screenings will take place worldwide this summer and fall. For current information, visit Instagram @barbette.fontaine.