Since her breakout as one of the most high-profile Black models in the 1970s, fashion world titan Bethann Hardison has advocated tirelessly for diversity in the industry, both on and off the runway. In Invisible Beauty, co-directed by Hardison herself, French documentarian Frédéric Tcheng offers a riveting look at the pioneer’s life and legacy, tracing her audacious efforts to challenge the status quo. What gradually emerges is a vibrant portrait of an icon’s ambitious attempts to revolutionize the fashion world—and indeed, our very image of beauty. Mixing fascinating archival footage and interviews with fashion icons from multiple eras (Naomi Campbell, Iman, Zendaya), this inspiring documentary adroitly balances both retrospective and contemporary perspectives on representation, showing how we got to where we are, and how far we still have to go. Constructed with an elegance and verve to match Hardison’s rebellious and radical spirit, the film is an essential reminder that diversity is not just a slogan, but the result of life-long struggle.
Invisible Beauty will likely make you hungry for Hardison’s book. But in a twist, one might wonder, can it be as good as the movie?
Variety
Series Media Partner
Iman, Fran Lebowitz, Tracee Ellis Ross, Whoopi Goldberg, Zendaya
USA
2023
Portraits
English
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
Credits
Executive Producer
David Chan, Robina Riccitiello, Chris Stolte, Heidi Stolte
Producer
Lisa Cortés
Screenwriter
Bethann Hardison, Frédéric Tcheng, Chris McNabb
Cinematography
Mia Cioffi Henry, Frédéric Tcheng
Editor
Chris McNabb, Frédéric Tcheng
Original Music
Marc Anthony Thompson
Directors
Bethann Hardison
Advocate, model, and muse—with a career spanning over five decades, Bethann Hardison has gone from working in New York City’s Garment District to founding her namesake agency where she guided the careers of some of the most prominent models in the world. In 1988, she founded the Black Girls Coalition, and in 2013, she spearheaded the launch of the Diversity Coalition sparking an industry-wide movement for diversity and inclusion. Bethann currently serves on the CFDA’s Board of Directors and as Gucci’s Executive Advisor for Global Equity and Cultural Engagement.
Frédéric Tcheng
Frédéric Tcheng is a French-born filmmaker based in Brooklyn, New York. He co_produced and co-edited Valentino: The Last Emperor. He is the co-director of the acclaimed documentary Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel, which the New York Times called “dizzily enjoyable.” His award-winning directorial debut Dior and I premiered at the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival. His film Halston was executive produced by CNN Films and premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. He has served as a filmmaking mentor for Queer Art, a non-profit arts organization in New York. He studied engineering in France and is a graduate of the film program at Columbia University’s School of the Arts.
Filmography: Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel (2011); Dior and I (2014); Halston (2019)
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
They Shot the Piano Player
The fate of a prodigious Brazilian samba pianist murdered in Argentina in 1976 fuels this animated docu-fiction from the team who gave us the Academy Award-nominee Chico & Rita. Jeff Goldblum voices the writer who digs into Francisco Tenório Jr's story.
July Rhapsody
Ann Hui's newly restored 2002 film is a moving and sympathetic portrait of a 40-year-old school teacher (Jacky Cheung) going through a rocky patch with his wife (Anita Mui) while fending off a flirtatious student (Vancouver-born Karena Lam).
Evil Does Not Exist
After the international success of Drive My Car, Ryûsuke Hamaguchi quietly made this small-scale independent film, a work of simplicity and grace about a rural community and the developers who want to built a "glamping" retreat in the woods.
Wilfred Buck
Affectionately known as "the star guy", Wilfred Buck is our guide to the ancient astrology of the First Nations. Lisa Jackson's film brings his teachings to life, while also exploring how Buck transcended his troubled youth to become a beloved teacher.
La Chimera
Rohrwacher's first feature since Happy As Lazzaro is an exhilaratingly wild, mysterious, rough and tumble tale of a disheveled English tomb raider (Josh O'Connor) living with a roisterous group of Italian bohemians: singers, smugglers and petty thieves.
Sweetland
The government is ready to resettle the far-flung fishing community of Sweetland, Newfoundland with a healthy pay-out -- but only if the entire community signs up for the move. Retired fisherman Moses is one of the last hold-outs. He's lived here his entire life, and he's not ready to put his ghosts behind him.