Paris was a woman

Khalid Koujili El Yakoubi & Bibi van Lieshout

In Paris was a Woman, Bibi van Lieshout and Khalid Koujili El Yakoubi celebrate the underexposed queer history of Paris and of themselves. Set in the 1920s, they find brave women like Djuna Barnes, Gisèle Freund and Ada ‘Bricktop’ Smith unconventionally choosing love and art in their time. The makers take inspiration from the Parisian 1950s based on the photo book Les amies de place Blanche by Christer Strömholm, who made intimate portraits of women from trans backgrounds. Bibi and Khalid question the fragility of our fought-for freedoms by dancing Parisian nightlife back to life. In an ode to these pioneers, they also celebrate their own queer existence above all else, transforming as fluid butterflies of the night.