Fashion and film are two of our favourite things, and this year, Sydney Film Festival is bringing them together, unveiling a new program strand dedicated entirely to the intersection of style and cinema.
It's aptly titled Sartorial: Fashion on Film, and will debut as part of the festival’s 73rd edition, which runs from 3–14 June. There are seven films slated on the program, tracing how clothing shapes culture, and how filmmakers have long used fashion as both subject and storytelling device.
If, like us, you're already planning your sartorial cinema experience, you can get acquainted with the program in full, below.
Marc by Sofia
At the centre of the program is the Australian premiere of Marc by Sofia, the first documentary from Sofia Coppola — and one that the RUSSH team have been very vocal about their excitement for. It paints a portrait of Coppola's longtime friend Marc Jacobs, and offers a rare look inside the designer’s creative world, from early grunge-era beginnings through to his defining years at Louis Vuitton.
French Girls
In French Girls, director Hyun Lee turns her lens on the Sydney modelling industry. The film follows a young woman who is thrust into the precarious world when she is unexpectedly scouted. As the logline describes, she finds herself making more money, but working less than ever before. The film promises a realistic take on what it actually means to be a model today, and doesn't shy away from the harsher realities.
Useless
Jia Zhangke’s Useless maps the human cost of clothing production, from factory floors in rural China, to couture runways in Paris. The documentary offers a layered view of the industry, from mass manufacturing to independent design, and the tangible impact it all has on the many lives the industry touches.
Prêt-à-Porter
It wouldn't be a well-rounded lineup without a little bit of satire. Shot during Paris Fashion Week in 1994, Robert Altman’s Prêt-à-Porter is a satirical take on the fashion world. With an ensemble cast that includes Julia Roberts, Tim Robbins, Kim Basinger and Lauren Bacall, plus cameos from real-life fashion icons from Issey Miyake to Claudia Shiffer, this film leans into the chaos, egos and absurdities that tend to define the fashion world.
Notebook on Cities and Clothes
In this intimate diary film, Wim Wenders follows Yohji Yamamoto between Tokyo and Paris. What unfolds is a meditation on creativity, identity and the parallels between filmmaking and fashion.
Jane B. par Agnès V.
In Jane B. par Agnès V., Agnès Varda sidesteps the traditional biopic to construct a portrait of Jane Birkin told through her various roles, from Jeanne d'Arc to Calamity Jane, and even the namesake Hermès bag she inspired. Rather than tracing a linear life story, Varda uses a sense of performance as a way to get closer to something more personal.
Model
In Model, Frederick Wiseman captures the inner workings of a New York modelling agency at the height of its power in the 80s. Through castings, shoots and blunt rejections, the film reveals an industry built on image, judgement and constant evaluation.
