This Fashion Life

This Fashion Life presents films on fashion designers and personalities, runway models, and behind-the-scene documentaries on the creation of haute couture collections. The program includes weekly screenings of Valentino: The Last Emperor 2008, an intimate documentary about the closing act of Valentino’s celebrated career; a focus on fashion documentarist Loïc Prigent; and films on the life and work of designers Gabrielle Chanel, Christian Dior, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Marc Jacobs, Karl Lagerfeld, Yves Saint Laurent, Isaac Mizrahi, Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough for Proenza Schouler, Sonia Rykiel and Vogue magazine editor-in-chief Anna Wintour. Dramatisations of the fashion industry in film and television will accompany this selection, including Robert Altman’s satirical account of Parisian Fashion Week, Prêt-à-Porter 1994

Habillées pour l’été 2010 (Dressed up for Summer 2010) 2010 All ages

Sat 9 Oct 1.00pm and Fri 15 Oct 6.00pm / Cinema A

HD VIDEO, COLOUR, STEREO, 60 MINUTES, FRANCE, FRENCH AND ENGLISH (ENGLISH SUBTITLES) / DIRECTOR/SCRIPT/CINEMATOGRAPHER: LOÏC PRIGENT / EDITOR: THIBAUT SEVE / PRODUCTION CO: ARTE FRANCE, SUNDANCE CHANNEL / PRINT SOURCE/RIGHTS: ARTE FRANCE / SCREENING FORMAT: DIGITAL BETACAM

‘Habillées pour l’été 2010 covers the Spring 2010 collections in New York and Paris, with Mademoiselle Agnès taking a particular interest in spotlighting the next generation of designers. In New York, she finds much cause for excitement in the likes of Proenza Schouler, Joseph Altazurra, Jason Wu, Thakoon and several others. Then it’s on to Paris, where Mademoiselle Agnès sets herself the daunting task of attending as many runway shows as possible; not only the heavy hitters, but also the perennially individualistic and the relatively low-profile.’ Sundance

Le jour d'avant (The Day Before): Proenza Schouler 2009 All ages

Fri 1 Oct 6.00pm and Fri 22 Oct 6.00pm / Cinema A

HD VIDEO, COLOUR, STEREO, 52 MINUTES, FRANCE, FRENCH (ENGLISH SUBTITLES) / DIRECTOR/SCRIPT: LOÏC PRIGENT / CINEMATOGRAPHERS: LOÏC PRIGENT, KARINE DUSFOUR, FABIEN CONSTANT, ALBERT LECOANET / EDITOR: THIBAUT SEVE / PRODUCTION CO: ARTE, SUNDANCE CHANNEL, DERALF, STORY BOX PRESS / PRINT SOURCE/RIGHTS: ARTE FRANCE / SCREENING FORMAT: DIGITAL BETACAM

‘In this four-part series, documentarist Loïc Prigent chronicles the final 36 hours prior to crucial seasonal runway shows, capturing the mood and energy of designers, the teamwork and the key moments when creativity and business come together. Episode 1 follows Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough, the young visionaries behind the edgy and elegant Proenza Schouler label, as they prepare to debut their fall 2009 collection in New York.’ Sundance

Le jour d'avant (The Day Before): Fendi by Karl Lagerfeld 2009 All ages

Fri 1 Oct 7.00pm and Fri 22 Oct 7.00pm / Cinema A

‘In this four-part series, documentarist Loïc Prigent chronicles the final 36 hours prior to crucial seasonal runway shows, capturing the mood and energy of designers, the teamwork and the key moments when creativity and business come together. In episode 2 the Italian house of Fendi and its creative director Karl Lagerfeld prepare a Milan showcase of new Fendi fur, ready to wear and accessories.’ Sundance

Le jour d'avant (The Day Before): Jean-Paul Gaultier 2009 All ages

Fri 8 Oct 6.00pm and Fri 29 Oct 6.00pm / Cinema A

‘In this four-part series, documentarist Loïc Prigent chronicles the final 36 hours prior to crucial seasonal runway shows, capturing the mood and energy of designers, the teamwork and the key moments when creativity and business come together. In episode 3 France's Jean-Paul Gaultier, renowned for his unforgettable costumes for Madonna and Kylie Minogue, mixes wit and magic in a Parisian haute couture show.’ Sundance

Le jour d'avant (The Day Before): Sonia Rykiel 2009 All ages

Fri 8 Oct 7.00pm and Fri 29 Oct 7.00pm / Cinema A

‘In this four-part series, documentarist Loïc Prigent chronicles the final 36 hours prior to crucial seasonal runway shows, capturing the mood and energy of designers, the teamwork and the key moments when creativity and business come together. In episode 4, France's "Queen of Knits," designer Sonia Rykiel, prepares to celebrate her independent family-owned firm's 40th anniversary with an October Parisian show.’ Sundance

The September Issue 2009 M15+

Fri 13 Aug 6.00pm and Sat 21 Aug 1.00pm / Cinema A

HD VIDEO TRANSFERRED TO 35MM, COLOUR, DOLBY DIGITAL, 90 MINUTES, USA, ENGLISH / DIRECTOR: R J CUTLER / CINEMATOGRAPHER: ROBERT RICHMAN / EDITOR: AZIN SAMARI / PRODUCTION CO: A&E INDIEFILMS, ACTUAL REALITY PICTURES / PRINT SOURCE/RIGHTS: HOPSCOTCH FILMS

‘The September Issue is only partly a movie about fashion. At its heart, it's a movie about work, about the ways individuals compete with, grate against and inspire one another in the workplace. The film documents the creation of the largest and most anticipated issue of Vogue magazine's yearly cycle — in this case, specifically, the September 2007 issue, the fattest in Vogue's history — by tracking the frustrations, confrontations and backstage machinations of the players who put it together, from the fashion editors to the art director to the guy who mans the office's colour copier. Presiding over this aesthetically attuned circus is Editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, considered the most formidable figure in the fashion world and who has a reputation for being an arrogant, sometimes unreasonable boss. The September Issue doesn't fully dispel either of those notions, though it does fill them in with additional shades of colour. What really drives The September Issue is the dynamic between Wintour and her right-hand woman, creative director Grace Coddington, who has, for more than 20 years been the mastermind behind the magazine's most imaginative fashion spreads. Radiating equal parts flamboyance and good common sense, Coddington needles Wintour in a way no one else on staff dares. Their working relationship is an uneasy chemistry of mutual regard and know-it-all stubbornness, a fascinating model — not easily described, nor, alas, readily reproducible — of the way creativity and friction can coexist in the workplace.’ Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com

Valentino: The Last Emperor 2008 PG

Every Saturday 3.00pm in Cinema B throughout the ‘Valentino: Past/Present/Future’ exhibition

DV TRANSFERRED TO 35MM, COLOUR, DOLBY DIGITAL, 96 MINUTES, USA, ENGLISH / ITALIAN / FRENCH (ENGLISH SUBTITLES) / DIRECTOR: MATT TYRNAUER / CINEMATOGRAPHER: TIM HURWITZ / EDITORS: BOB EISENHARDT, FRÉDÉRIC TCHENG / PRODUCTION CO: ACOLYTE FILMS / PRINT SOURCE/RIGHTS: HOPSCOTCH FILMS

‘Valentino: The Last Emperor is an intimate exploration of one of Italy’s most extravagant icons. The film documents the dramatic and very colourful culmination of Valentino’s celebrated career, tells the story of his extraordinary life and work, and also explores the larger themes affecting the business of fashion today. At the heart of the film is the unique relationship between Valentino and his business partner and companion of 50 years, Giancarlo Giammetti. Valentino is the last of the great couturiers. He is a design genius, an Italian legend, and the man who lives in a lost world of luxury and extravagance unparalleled in Europe. The film provides an insider’s view of his creative brilliance, as well as his opulent lifestyle, as he rubs shoulders with Hollywood and political elite, and the European royal families—a true maestro of la dolce vita. Valentino: The Last Emperor showcases the artist’s historic importance — he dressed the likes of Jackie Kennedy and Princess Diana — and now finally, on the heels of his retirement from the fashion world, the film provides an intimate, funny, dramatic and very human portrayal of the man at the centre of a brilliant chapter in the history of Rome and Europe, and the end of an era in global fashion.’ Celluloid Dreams

Lagerfeld Confidential 2007 PG

Sat 14 Aug 1.00pm and Fri 20 Aug 6.00pm / Cinema A

DV AND SUPER 8 TRANSFERRED TO 35MM, COLOUR, DOLBY SR, 89 MINUTES, FRANCE, ENGLISH / FRENCH (ENGLISH SUBTITLES) / DIRECTOR/SCRIPT/CINEMATOGRAPHER: RODOLPHE MARCONI / EDITOR: LAURCE MERCIER / PRODUCTION CO: BACKUP FILMS, REALITISM / PRINT SOURCE/RIGHTS: HOPSCOTCH ENTERTAINMENT / SCREENING FORMAT: DIGITAL BETACAM

‘Among the most influential of contemporary couturiers, Karl Lagerfeld is revered in fashion circles for his imagination, innovation, and relentless energy. Though he creates his own eponymous clothing lines, Lagerfeld is unique among major fashion designers for having cultivated an iconic reputation working at a variety of established labels, moving from Chloé to Fendi to the legendary house of Chanel. Lagerfeld Confidential follows Lagerfeld as he criss-crosses the globe, touching down at various soirees, runways, hot spots, and fabulous rendezvous and presents the life of Lagerfeld as an impressionistic blur of jet-set scintillations alternating with quieter moments relaxing at home, sketching in his studio, and answering questions for the camera.’ Nathan Lee, The Village Voice

Marc Jacobs and Louis Vuitton 2007 All ages

Fri 27 Aug 6.00pm and Sat 2 Oct 1.00pm / Cinema A

BETACAM SP, COLOUR, STEREO, 82 MINUTES, FRANCE, ENGLISH / FRENCH (ENGLISH SUBTITLES) / DIRECTOR/CINEMATOGRAPHER: LOÏC PRIGENT / EDITOR: JEAN-MARC MANIVET / PRODUCTION CO: ANDA MEDIA, ARTE, EMASON PRODUCTIONS / PRINT SOURCE/RIGHTS: ARTE FRANCE / SCREENING FORMAT: DIGITAL BETACAM

‘Considered the most influential designer of his generation, Marc Jacobs is the creative force behind two of the world’s most successful and fashion-forward brands: his eponymous American line, and the venerable French house of Louis Vuitton. Loïc Prigent captures Jacobs at work on his spring 2007 ready-to-wear collections for the two labels, revealing a quirky talent who draws together disparate thematic threads — from cookies to Cubism — as he conjures clothes, bags and shoes that will be coveted by stylish women of all ages.’ Sundance

The Devil Wears Prada 2006 PG

Sat 7 Aug 1.00pm / Cinema A

35MM, COLOUR, DOLBY DIGITAL, 109 MINUTES, USA, ENGLISH/FRENCH (ENGLISH SUBTITLES) / DIRECTOR: DAVID FRANKLE / SCRIPT: ALINE BROSH MCKENNA / BASED ON THE NOVEL BY LAUREN WEISBERGER / CINEMATOGRAPHER: FLORIAN BALLHAUS / EDITOR: MARK LIVOLSI / PRODUCTION CO: FOX 200 PICTURES, TWENTIETH-CENTURY FOX FILMS, PENINSULA FILMS / PRINT SOURCE/RIGHTS: TWENTIETH-CENTURY FOX FILMS

‘For the legions who have suffered the caprice and cruelty of a tyrannical boss, The Devil Wears Prada, Lauren Weisberger's best-selling roman à clef about a bright young woman's brief period of servitude at a fashion magazine, provides the satisfaction of vicarious payback. Its portrait of Miranda Priestly, the imperious editor of a glossy rag called Runway, is a collage of unforgiving slights and unforgotten grudges, glued to the page with pure, righteous venom…With her silver hair and pale skin, her whispery diction as perfect as her posture, Meryle Streep's performance as Miranda inspires both terror and a measure of awe. No longer simply the incarnation of evil, she is now a vision of aristocratic, purposeful and surprisingly human grace.’ AO Scott, New York Times

Christian Dior: The Man behind the Myth 2005 All ages

Sat 4 Sept 2.00pm / Cinema A

HD VIDEO, BLACK AND WHITE AND COLOUR, STEREO, 52 MINUTES, FRANCE, ENGLISH / FRENCH / DUTCH (ENGLISH SUBTITLES) / DIRECTOR: PHILIPPE LANFRANCHI / SCRIPT: PHILIPPE LANFRANCHI, ERIC ELLENA / CINEMATOGRAPHER: JEAN-THOMAS RENAUD / EDITOR: CLARA OTT / PRODUCTION CO: AVRO, FRENCH FILM BOARD, CHRISTIAN DIOR COUTURE, DIOR MUSEUM, FRENCH TELEVISIONS DISTRIBUTION / PRINT SOURCE/RIGHTS: YADÉ FRENCH CONNECTION / SCREENING FORMAT: DIGITAL BETACAM

‘From 1947-1957, while fabric was rationed in the wake of the Second World War, Paris was re-established as the capital of fashion by an unconventionally humble and soft spoken visionary. His name would soon achieve legendary status — Christian Dior. What inspired his unexpected trajectory into becoming one of the most influential and significant designers in fashion history? His childhood in Normandy, the everlasting image of his mother's elegance, as well as his love of flowers, art, and architecture, help unravel the mystery of the man behind the myth.’ French Connections

Louis Vuitton, Champs-Elysées: The Countdown 2005 All ages

Sat 28 Aug 1.00pm / Cinema A

HD VIDEO, COLOUR, SOUND, 90 MINUTES, FRANCE, FRENCH (ENGLISH SUBTITLES) / DIRECTOR/SCRIPT: ERIC LE SENEY / CINEMATOGRAPHER: MICHAEL LUBTCHANSKY, GUILLAUME ALLAIRE /.EDITOR: NEP LITODIU / PRODUCTION CO: PRODÉXÉ, INJAM PRODUCTIONS, PARIS 1ERE / PRINT SOURCE: EUROPE IMAGES, ANTIPODE / SCREENING FORMAT: DIGITAL BETACAM

‘Peek into the world of exquisite finery in this stunning documentary following Louis Vuitton staff as they prepare for the grand opening of their Champs-Elysées store. The crowning jewel in the Louis Vuitton empire is their massive store on the Champs-Elysées; part showroom, part museum, it is the spiritual home for Louis Vuitton fans from across the globe. On display are all the collections of exquisite luggage and luxe clothing designed by the one and only Marc Jacobs. This film takes you on a guided tour behind-the-scenes as an army of Vuitton staff prepare for its opening in October 2005, their aspiration being to create a Paris icon to rival the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe.’ James Nolen, ACMI

Signé Chanel (The House of Chanel) 2005 All ages

Sat 16 Oct 1.00pm / Cinema A

BETACAM SP, COLOUR, STEREO, 130 MINUTES (26 MINUTE EPISODES), FRANCE, ENGLISH / FRENCH (ENGLISH SUBTITLES) / EPISODE 1: L'ATTENTE (ANTICIPATION) / EPISODE 2: LES VEILLEES (DOUBTS) / EPISODE 3: LES RITES (RITUALS) / EPISODE 4: LE DOUTE (SLEEPLESS NIGHTS) / EPISODE 5: LA COLLECTION (THE COLLECTION) / DIRECTOR/CINEMATOGRAPHER: LOÏC PRIGENT / EDITOR: JEAN-MARC MANIVET / PRODUCTION CO: ARTE / PRINT SOURCE : ARTE FRANCE / RIGHTS: JEAN FRANÇOIS AGNES / SCREENING FORMAT: DIGITAL BETACAM

‘Signé Chanel is an acclaimed five-part documentary miniseries revealing the extraordinary efforts that go into the creation of the House of Chanel’s Fall/Winter 2004-2005 couture collection designed by Karl Lagerfeld. The series paints an affectionate portrait of the couture tradition, with its age-old skills, human comedy and tense, secretive atmosphere. Episode one visits the legendary Chanel atelier on the rue Gambon where the staff eagerly awaits the arrival of Lagerfeld's annotated illustrations. In episode two, the head seamstresses present mock-ups of several garments to Lagerfeld, who immediately begins re-thinking details large and small. Episode three visits a farm outside Paris, where Madame Pouzieux, a no-nonsense 75-year-old who has been weaving Chanel's signature braided trim since 1947. In episode four, the pressure mounts during the final days of production, and even head seamstress Madame Jacqueline is beginning to show the strain. The concluding episode captures the excitement and last-minute panic as the fashion media and celebrities gather to see the new Chanel collection.’ Sundance

Yves Saint Laurent: 5, Avenue Marceau, 75116 Paris 2002 All ages

Fri 24 Sept 6.00pm / Cinema A

DV CAM, COLOUR, STEREO, 85 MINUTES, FRANCE, FRENCH (ENGLISH SUBTITLES) / DIRECTOR/SCRIPT: DAVID TEBOUL / CINEMATOGRAPHER: CAROLINE CHAMPETIER / EDITORS: ANNETTE DUTERTRE, MARTINE GIORDANO / PRODUCTION CO: MOVIMENTO PRODUCTIONS / PRINT SOURCE/RIGHTS: CULTURESFRANCE

‘In this companion piece to his biographical profile Yves Saint Laurent: His Life and Times 2002, filmmaker David Teboul peers behind the doors of one of the world's leading fashion houses. As he prepared his last women's collection in 2001, St. Laurent allowed cameras to observe the evolution of his vision for the first time. During roughly eight weeks, St. Laurent's simple black-and-white drawings are transformed through many iterations into glorious, colourful reality. A rare and revealingly intimate glimpse of the creative process in action.’ Sundance

Yves Saint Laurent: His Life and Times 2002 All ages

Sat 25 Sept 1.00pm / Cinema A

DV CAM, COLOUR, STEREO, 77 MINUTES, FRANCE, FRENCH (ENGLISH SUBTITLES) / DIRECTOR/SCRIPT: DAVID TEBOUL / CINEMATOGRAPHER: HÉLÈNE LOUVART, PHILIPPE PAVANS DE CECCATTY / EDITOR: ANNETTE DUTERTRE / PRODUCTION CO: MOVIMENTO PRODUCTIONS / PRINT SOURCE/RIGHTS: CULTURESFRANCE

‘During the last half of the 20th century, Yves St. Laurent was the definition of French haute couture. With exclusive access to St. Laurent and his inner circle, filmmaker David Teboul outlines the influential designer's life and career, from his youth in Algeria and his selection as Christian Dior's successor at age 21, to the formation of his own world-famous firm in the 1960s. Interviewed are St. Laurent's mother and his long-time business manager and partner Pierre Berge.’ Sundance

Gabrielle Chanel: La permanence d’un style (Gabrielle Chanel: An Immortal Style) 2001 All ages

Sat 4 Sept 1.00pm / Cinema A

DIGITAL BETACAM, BLACK AND WHITE AND COLOUR, STEREO, 52 MINUTES, FRANCE, FRENCH (ENGLISH SUBTITLES) / DIRECTOR: GILLES NADEAU / CINEMATOGRAPHER: MARIE-JOSÉE PIALAT / EDITOR: CONSTANCE LAGARDE / PRODUCTION CO: FRANCE 2, PB PRODUCTIONS / PRINT SOURCE: M5 EUROPE IMAGES / RIGHTS: LEA LAUBACHER

‘This recent documentary explores the life and philosophy of Coco Chanel. Edmonde Charles-Roux, Chanel's biographer, is joined by 1950s supermodel Bettina, jewellery designer Robert Goossens, 1980s Chanel model Inès de La Fressange and Karl Lagerfeld as they discuss her impact on the world of fashion. Packed with rare archival runway footage, the film touches on many of Chanel's achievements and innovations in clothing design and attitudes to modern dressing.’ James Nolen, ACMI

Zoolander 2001 M15+

Fri 12 Nov 6.00pm / Cinema A

35MM, COLOUR, DOLBY DIGITAL, 89 MINUTES, USA/AUSTRALIA/GERMANY, ENGLISH / DIRECTOR: BEN STILLER / SCRIPT: DRAKE SATHER, BEN STILLER, JOHN HAMBURG / CINEMATOGRAPHER: BARRY PETERSON / EDITOR: GREG HAYDEN / PRODUCTION CO: PARAMOUNT PICTURES, VILLAGE ROADSHOW PICTURES, VH1 FILMS, RED HOUR FILMS / PRINT SOURCE/RIGHTS: ROADSHOW FILMS

‘An alumnus of the VH-1 Fashion Awards, the "really, really, really good-looking" Derek Zoolander (Ben Stiller) is world-renowned for his inventory of lovingly named facial expressions: Ferrari, Le Tigre, the career-making Blue Steel, the reverently anticipated, years-in-development Magnum. The joke that somehow keeps on giving is that they're all the same half-coquettish, half-stricken pout: a heedless fusion of italicized brow, sucked-in cheeks, and puckered lips. After losing his Male Model of the Year crown to the aloof, almost mystical extreme-sports enthusiast and free-love advocate Hansel (Owen Wilson), depressed Derek is brainwashed by the screeching, wrathful designer Mugatu (Will Ferrell) — creator of a new line of homeless chic called Derelicte — into assassinating the prime minister of Malaysia so as to keep child sweatshops in operation.’ Dennis Lim, Village Voice

In and Out of Fashion 1998 All ages

Sat 18 Sept 1.00pm / Cinema A

35MM, BLACK AND WHITE, MONO, 85 MINUTES, FRANCE, FRENCH (ENGLISH SUBTITLES) / DIRECTOR/SCRIPT/EDITOR: WILLIAM KLEIN / CINEMATOGRAPHER: JEAN NOEL DELAMARRE / PRODUCTION CO: KUIV PRODUCTIONS, LIEURAC PRODUCTIONS / PRINT SOURCE: WALKER ART CENTER / RIGHTS: WILLIAM KLEIN

‘This montage film mixes excerpts from Klein’s feature films with imagery from his fashion photography, books, and paintings, and even includes rare footage he shot of Yves Saint Laurent’s very first runway show. The title suggests not only the centrality of fashion to Klein’s work, but also the shifts in taste that have by turns cast him in the spotlight or relegated him to the wings. Given the current revival of attention to nearly all aspects of his career, Klein’s now classic work remains very much in fashion.’ Harvard Film Archive

Catwalk 1996 M15+

Fri 3 Sept 6.00pm / Cinema A

35MM, BLACK AND WHITE AND COLOUR, STEREO, 95 MINUTES, USA, ENGLISH / DIRECTOR/CINEMATOGRAPHER: ROBERT LEACOCK / CO-DIRECTOR/EDITOR: MILTON MOSES GINSBERG / MUSIC: MALCOLM MCLAREN / PRODUCTION CO: DANIEL WOLF PRODUCTIONS / PRINT SOURCE/RIGHTS: HOPSCOTCH FILMS

‘One of the original behind-the-scenes insights into the life of supermodels, Catwalk sees the world through some of the most beautiful eyes in the business. Join in the glamour, excitement and theatrics as Christy Turlington takes you backstage and struts her stuff at the unveilings of spring collections in Milan, Paris and New York for designers such as Giorgio Armani, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Valentino, John Galliano, Gianni Versace, Karl Lagerfeld, Azzedine Alaia and Isaac Mizrahi. Catwalk captures models (including Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss, Carla Bruni and Cindy Crawford) and designers as they create unforgettable images on the runway. The documentary chronicles the absolute professionalism that goes hand-in-hand with the high-powered world of fashion. From director Robert Leacock and expertly cut by editor Milton Moses Ginsberg, Catwalk assembles a unique collection of talent on and off screen, during a time in the 1990s when the world was fascinated by the glamorous life of supermodels. The inventive visual style is intensified by an ingenious and atmospheric musical score from Malcolm McLaren.’ Hopscotch Films

Unzipped 1995 M15+

Fri 5 Nov 6.00pm / Cinema A

SUPER 8, SUPER 16 AND 16MM TRANSFERRED TO 35MM, BLACK AND WHITE AND COLOUR, DOLBY, 73 MINUTES, USA, ENGLISH / FRENCH (ENGLISH SUBTITLES) / DIRECTOR: DOUGLAS KEEVE / CINEMATOGRAPHERS: ELLEN KURAS, ROBERT LEACOCK / EDITORS: PAULA HEREDIA, ALAN OXMAN / PRODUCTION CO: HACHETTE FILIPACCHI FILMS, MIRAMAX FILMS / PRINT SOURCE/RIGHTS: WALT DISNEY STUDIOS MOTION PICTURES INT'L

‘Who'd have thought that a documentary about designer Isaac Mizrahi's 1994 collection would become the best party of the movie year? But that it is. Unzipped, directed by fashion photographer Douglas Keeve and dazzlingly shot in colour and in black and white by Ellen Kuras, offers behind-the-scenes peeks at skin, fits, egos and supermodels Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista and Cindy Crawford. But the star of this blissful bash is Mizrahi himself. The yeshiva boy from Brooklyn, New York, is a laugh riot talking about design inspirations from sources as diverse as ballet, books, Mom, Mary Tyler Moore, Eskimos and bad old movies. He's also keenly informative about the joy and pain of the creative process. Keeve figured that just riding Mizrahi's coattails would make Unzipped an exuberant high. He figured right.’ Rollingstone

Prêt-à-Porter 1994 M15+

Fri 10 Sept 6.00pm / Cinema A

35MM, COLOUR, DOLBY DIGITAL, 133 MINUTES, USA, ENGLISH/FRENCH/ITALIAN/RUSSIAN/SPANISH (ENGLISH SUBTITLES) / DIRECTOR: ROBERT ALTMAN / SCRIPT: ROBERT ALTMAN, BARBARA SHULGASSER / CINEMATOGRAPHERS: JEAN LEPINE, PIERRE MIGNOT / EDITOR: GERALDINE PERONI / PRODUCTION CO: MIRAMAX FILMS / PRINT SOURCE: WALT DISNEY STUDIOS MOTION PICTURES INT'L

‘Take equal parts French farce, murder mystery, and fashion-show chic; assemble an international cast with no fewer than 31 characters; and mix well under the watchful, ambitious eye of director Robert Altman. The result is an enjoyable and haphazard comedy about the lives and loves of fashion designers, supermodels, and journalists during the coverage of an annual springtime fashion show in Paris. When the head of the fashion council, Olivier de la Fontaine (Jean-Pierre Cassel) is found dead in his limousine, public and private lives are thrown into gleeful turmoil. Olivier's widow (Sophia Loren) is soon accosted by an old lover (Marcello Mastrioanni), who happens to be a suspect in Olivier's apparent murder. Olivier's lover (Anouk Aimée), a leading fashion designer, contends with her rebellious son and a corporate takeover by a Texas boot maker (Lyle Lovett). Meanwhile, Altman entreats us to see how the media covers (or overexposes) the fashion show. A ubiquitous FAD-TV reporter Kitty Potter (Kim Basinger) tries to get fluffy sound bites from celebrities and designers surrounding the events. Three fashion magazine editors (Linda Hunt, Sally Kelllerman, and Tracey Ullman) covet the same sadistic, voyeuristic photographer (Stephen Rea). And two American reporters (Tim Robbins and Julia Roberts), stranded in the same hotel room without proper clothes, have a cute little fling.’ The Tech, MIT

Mode en France (Fashion in France) 1984 All ages

Fri 17 Sept 6.00pm / Cinema A

35MM, COLOUR, STEREO, 84 MINUTES, FRANCE, FRENCH (ENGLISH SUBTITLES) / DIRECTOR/EDITOR: WILLIAM KLEIN / CINEMATOGRAPHERS: WILLIAM KLEIN, GERARD DE BATTISTA / MUSIC: SERGE GAINSBOURG / PRODUCTION CO: KUIV PRODUCTIONS, TF1 / PRINT SOURCE: WALKER ART CENTER / RIGHTS: WILLIAM KLEIN

‘A free-form, semi-documentary snapshot of the mid-1980s French fashion scene, Mode in France features clothes by such leading designers as Jean-Paul Gaultier, Alaïa, and Agnes B. By turns a fashion history, a fashion show, and an extended experiment in dramatization, Klein’s film captures the reigning looks and textures of the scene through stylized studio sequences (one featuring Grace Jones as a leather-clad fashion diva) and documentary-like episodes such as the elaborate street scene in which the inhabitants of an entire Paris neighbourhood are dressed by Gaultier.’ Harvard Film Archive

Qui êtes-vous, Polly Maggoo? (Who are you, Polly Maggoo?) 1966 Ages 15+

Sat 11 Sept 1.00pm / Cinema A

35MM, BLACK AND WHITE, MONO, 105 MINUTES, FRANCE, FRENCH (ENGLISH SUBTITLES) / DIRECTOR/SCRIPT/EDITOR: WILLIAM KLEIN / CINEMATOGRAPHERS: JEAN BOFFETY, ROBERT BOFFETY / PRODUCTION CO: CLUB DES PRODUCETEURS / PRINT SOURCE: WALKER ART CENTER / RIGHTS: WILLIAM KLEIN

‘William Klein’s celebrated mock-documentary follows the career of Polly Maggoo, a fictional American fashion model who is pursued by both a French television producer and a prince. With its high-contrast black-and-white cinematography and its frenetic editing, the film satirises both the look and the content of the world of haute couture. The opening fashion-show sequence sets the film’s comically abrasive tone by focusing on the latest collection of the hot Parisian designer Isidore Ducasse, who is labelled by one awestruck fashion editor "the poet of sheet-metal" for the riotous aluminium sculptures in which he has clad the models.’ Harvard Film Archive