This doc-by-doc look at this year’s Sundance line-up shifts to the Documentary Premieres section: ABOUT FACE, Timothy Greenfield-Sanders’ look at the original supermodels and their thoughts on beauty and aging.
Sundance Program Description:
Portrait photographer Timothy Greenfield-Sanders’s lush new film is an intimate view of the women whose images have defined our sense of beauty over the past five decades. An uncensored look at many of the biggest names in modeling, ABOUT FACE reveals the stories behind the magazine covers displaying these multicultural pioneers. Each woman is candidly interviewed in the studio and shares her experiences, ideas on longevity, and philosophy of life in the fashion industry. Elegant archival footage and interviews with designer Calvin Klein and agency head Eileen Ford round out this absorbing chronicle.
ABOUT FACE is a step back in time to a glamorous, yet complicated, era when drugs were rampant and women were routinely harassed and mistreated. The divergent attitudes among the women about everything from the business of modeling, to aging and plastic surgery, are fascinating and priceless. This insightful documentary celebrates the raw intelligence and staying power of these timeless icons.
Some Background:
Acclaimed photographer Greenfield-Sanders has brought two previous documentaries to Sundance: LOU REED: ROCK AND ROLL HEART (1998) and THE BLACK LIST (2008). Like the latter film, his newest film is an HBO Documentaries production. In addition to the support of the indomitable Sheila Nevins and her team, the film’s executive producers also include Tommy Walker, who had a similar role on THE BLACK LIST and directed/produced Sundance winner GOD GREW TIRED OF US (2006).
Why You Should Watch:
Unsurprisingly, coming as it does from Greenfield-Sanders, the film is beautifully shot. Putting the lie to the stereotypes that models are superficial, the doc explores rich and interesting territory through candid interviews with a who’s who of supermodel icons, including Christy Turlington, Christie Brinkley, Paulina Porizkova, Jerry Hall, and the always captivating Isabella Rossellini, among others.
More Info:
Check out the doc’s trailer here. For screening dates and times at Sundance, click the link in the first paragraph.
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