Documentarians often retain a distance from their subjects, viewing them from afar, never having experienced the joy or pain of the people they're filming.

Not so for Ron Davis and Stewart Halpern, the co-directors of Pageant - a fascinating insight into the highly competitive world of female impersonation.

“At 19 years old, six feet two inches tall and 168 lbs, I created a very believable illusion. I competed under the stage name, Rhonda Weiss, on Thursdays for about a year,” the director remembers.

Halpern had an up-close-and-personal view of Davis’ performances.

“I had seen Ron through his drag phase in college and was even recruited to be in some of his production numbers. To this day I still think he withheld his best dresses for himself, never one to be upstaged.”

The level of dedication displayed by the five modern day competitors featured in the film is phenomenal, as they meticulously plan their fabulous outfits and spectacular acts.

“I was intrigued by the commitment of these performers,” notes Halpern. “Ron and I went around and talked to most of the contestants that year and I couldn't believe how passionately they wanted to win.” 

“This was their number one goal in life and they were prepared to return year after year honing their craft until that crown was on their head. They would stop at nothing.”

Davis is keen to point out that, for all the human drama, he wants the film to change attitudes which he doesn’t believe have changed much since his days as a performer.

“I finished performing in the early 1990’s, but one thing that I will never forget from this experience was how people viewed me while I was doing it.

“People assumed that I wanted to be a woman, would proposition me thinking I was a prostitute, that I lived in drag every day, that I took drugs or that it was something sexual.“

“My vision for the documentary has always been to reveal the men behind the make-up, to break down the negative stereotypes of female impersonators and drag queens and to let their true selves shine through.”

Celebratory, dramatic and spectacular in equal measure, this is one Pageant that shouldn't be missed.

Pageant is screening on Friday 20 and Sunday 22 June at Cineworld.