Kim Cattrall is opening up about her new Skims campaign and working with Kim Kardashian!
The 67-year-old Sex and the City actress spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about her time at Paris Fashion Week, her new ad campaign, and her relationship with the reality superstar.
She’s feeling pretty “freakin’ fabulous” in her self-styled looks.
Keep reading to find out what she said…
Cattrall shared that she wasn’t super familiar with Skims before getting the offer to work with the brand.
“I came a little late to Skims,” she said. “I had heard about it a lot, most from my girlfriends and my team. I was wearing other sculpting garments under my wardrobe and I would always have to replace it so soon after getting it because it would lose its support.”
She continued, “Everyone kept telling me how wonderful Skims was, so I tried some. When they asked me to do the campaign,...
The 67-year-old Sex and the City actress spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about her time at Paris Fashion Week, her new ad campaign, and her relationship with the reality superstar.
She’s feeling pretty “freakin’ fabulous” in her self-styled looks.
Keep reading to find out what she said…
Cattrall shared that she wasn’t super familiar with Skims before getting the offer to work with the brand.
“I came a little late to Skims,” she said. “I had heard about it a lot, most from my girlfriends and my team. I was wearing other sculpting garments under my wardrobe and I would always have to replace it so soon after getting it because it would lose its support.”
She continued, “Everyone kept telling me how wonderful Skims was, so I tried some. When they asked me to do the campaign,...
- 10/13/2023
- by Just Jared
- Just Jared
Kim Cattrall, Lana Condor and Nelly Furtado are all striking a pose for Kim Kardashian‘s brand, Skims!
The superstars join Hari Nef and Coco Jones in the Best of Skims campaign, wearing pieces from the brand’s best-selling viral collections that they chose and styled themselves.
Each woman was asked to pick their favorite looks from the brand that made them feel their most confident, and shot their campaign in their chosen looks, with their favorites being featured in the video.
The assortment includes the Seamless Sculpt Bodysuit, Soft Lounge Long Slip Dress, Cotton Collection, and Fits Everybody Collection.
“It was so freeing to be able to pick my favorite Skims looks for the campaign, and the piece I loved the most was the Sculpting Mid Thigh Bodysuit. It’s a phenomenal fit, and it makes me feel confident whenever I wear it,” Kim Cattrall said.
“Styling all of...
The superstars join Hari Nef and Coco Jones in the Best of Skims campaign, wearing pieces from the brand’s best-selling viral collections that they chose and styled themselves.
Each woman was asked to pick their favorite looks from the brand that made them feel their most confident, and shot their campaign in their chosen looks, with their favorites being featured in the video.
The assortment includes the Seamless Sculpt Bodysuit, Soft Lounge Long Slip Dress, Cotton Collection, and Fits Everybody Collection.
“It was so freeing to be able to pick my favorite Skims looks for the campaign, and the piece I loved the most was the Sculpting Mid Thigh Bodysuit. It’s a phenomenal fit, and it makes me feel confident whenever I wear it,” Kim Cattrall said.
“Styling all of...
- 10/2/2023
- by Just Jared
- Just Jared
On the JoBlo Movies YouTube channel, we will be posting one full movie every day of the week, giving viewers the chance to watch them entirely free of charge. Today’s Free Movie of the Day is the historical adventure film The Rebels, which is set in 1st century Wales. You can watch the movie over on the YouTube channel linked above, or you can just watch it in the embed at the top of this article.
Written and directed by Emmet Cummins, The Rebels has the following synopsis:
Four rebellious teenagers in 1st century Roman-occupied Wales must flee their village and live in the wild after they accidentally kill a Roman soldier and cause an uprising. They must learn to live together or risk facing the wrath of Rome.
The film stars Tom Leach, Mia McKenna-Bruce, Gwydion Rhys, Richard Mason, Julian Lewis Jones, James Groom, Harry Lynn, Ifan Huw Dafydd,...
Written and directed by Emmet Cummins, The Rebels has the following synopsis:
Four rebellious teenagers in 1st century Roman-occupied Wales must flee their village and live in the wild after they accidentally kill a Roman soldier and cause an uprising. They must learn to live together or risk facing the wrath of Rome.
The film stars Tom Leach, Mia McKenna-Bruce, Gwydion Rhys, Richard Mason, Julian Lewis Jones, James Groom, Harry Lynn, Ifan Huw Dafydd,...
- 11/24/2022
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
With the release of Jesus Is King — Kanye West’s gospel-indebted ninth solo album — came a promise: on Christmas Day, West would release a second Christianity-themed album titled Jesus Is Born.
Despite nagging difficulties with releasing albums on time — Jesus Is King saw numerous delays and its predecessor, Yandhi, was never released — West’s latest was right on schedule, hitting streaming services on Christmas afternoon.
While Jesus Is King used gospel as a starting point, pulling textures from worship music to add depth to West’s typically genre-hopping brand of hip-hop,...
Despite nagging difficulties with releasing albums on time — Jesus Is King saw numerous delays and its predecessor, Yandhi, was never released — West’s latest was right on schedule, hitting streaming services on Christmas afternoon.
While Jesus Is King used gospel as a starting point, pulling textures from worship music to add depth to West’s typically genre-hopping brand of hip-hop,...
- 12/25/2019
- by Brendan Klinkenberg
- Rollingstone.com
Kanye West’s new opera Mary will get its second performance December 22nd at the David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center in New York City.
Directed by Vanessa Beecroft and featuring music from West’s Sunday Service choir, Mary was first performed earlier this month at the Miami Marine Stadium during Art Basel Miami. Tickets are available via the Lincoln Center website.
pic.twitter.com/r3Ze9AoS7w
— ye (@kanyewest) December 17, 2019
Per a statement, Mary is “based on the biblical story of the miraculous events surrounding the birth of Jesus Christ.
Directed by Vanessa Beecroft and featuring music from West’s Sunday Service choir, Mary was first performed earlier this month at the Miami Marine Stadium during Art Basel Miami. Tickets are available via the Lincoln Center website.
pic.twitter.com/r3Ze9AoS7w
— ye (@kanyewest) December 17, 2019
Per a statement, Mary is “based on the biblical story of the miraculous events surrounding the birth of Jesus Christ.
- 12/17/2019
- by Jon Blistein
- Rollingstone.com
Kanye West has announced the premiere of his new opera, Mary, which is set to debut on December 8th at Miami Marine Stadium in Miami, Florida. It follows the staging of his first opera, Nebuchadnezzar, in Los Angeles, California last month.
West announced the news on Thursday evening via Twitter. His tweet included Bible verses Luke 1:30-31. “And the angel said unto her: fear not, Mary: For thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus.
West announced the news on Thursday evening via Twitter. His tweet included Bible verses Luke 1:30-31. “And the angel said unto her: fear not, Mary: For thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus.
- 12/6/2019
- by Althea Legaspi
- Rollingstone.com
Kanye West spent his Thanksgiving releasing the video for “Closed on Sunday,” the latest single off his new album, Jesus Is King.
The clip opens with West, wife Kim Kardashian West and children North, Saint, Chicago and Psalm lying in a rock formation before an armada of armored vehicles unload the couple’s friends and family (including a cameo by Kris Jenner). The clip ends with a stoic, messianic-looking West surrounded by an exuberant choir singing the track.
“Closed on Sunday” became one of the most talked about tracks on...
The clip opens with West, wife Kim Kardashian West and children North, Saint, Chicago and Psalm lying in a rock formation before an armada of armored vehicles unload the couple’s friends and family (including a cameo by Kris Jenner). The clip ends with a stoic, messianic-looking West surrounded by an exuberant choir singing the track.
“Closed on Sunday” became one of the most talked about tracks on...
- 11/28/2019
- by Jon Blistein
- Rollingstone.com
Living in Los Angeles in 2019 means that every couple of weeks you’ll be summoned somewhere only coyotes and executive producers live to hear whatever Kanye West has been learning about in Bible study. This time it’s the Book of Daniel; this time it’s being staged as an opera; this time there are bomb-sniffing dogs hired from a firm that promises “High Consequence Threat Protection.” Art thou able to make known unto me the dream that I have seen?
On Sunday evening, the Hollywood Bowl was full of...
On Sunday evening, the Hollywood Bowl was full of...
- 11/25/2019
- by Paul Thompson
- Rollingstone.com
Kanye West probably won’t run for president in 2024, but a Biblical opera is as close to a sure thing as the musical mogul gets: Yesterday, West tweeted a golden-hued invitation to Nebuchadnezzar, a “Kanye West opera” set for Sunday, November 24 at the Hollywood Bowl.
The invite/announcement (see it below) indicates the opera will be directed by Vanessa Beecroft, an Italian performance artist, with music by West’s gospel project Sunday Service, Peter Colins and Infinities Song.
Unlike the Sunday Service shows, Nebuchadnezzar will be open to the general public, with the Hollywood Bowl tweeting yesterday that tickets go on sale today (Monday) at noon Pt.
The Biblical Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon circa 605 BC, is known in the Book of Jeremiah as “destroyer of nations.”
Just yesterday, West told televangelist Joel Osteen that “God’s been calling me for a long time and the devil has been distracting me for a long time.
The invite/announcement (see it below) indicates the opera will be directed by Vanessa Beecroft, an Italian performance artist, with music by West’s gospel project Sunday Service, Peter Colins and Infinities Song.
Unlike the Sunday Service shows, Nebuchadnezzar will be open to the general public, with the Hollywood Bowl tweeting yesterday that tickets go on sale today (Monday) at noon Pt.
The Biblical Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon circa 605 BC, is known in the Book of Jeremiah as “destroyer of nations.”
Just yesterday, West told televangelist Joel Osteen that “God’s been calling me for a long time and the devil has been distracting me for a long time.
- 11/18/2019
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Kanye West will premiere a new opera, Nebuchadnezzar, named for the ancient Babylonian king, November 24th at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.
The show will be directed by performance artist Vanessa Beecroft and feature music from West’s Sunday Service choir. The gold-plated invite for the show (designed by Nick Knight) also lists music from Peter Colins & Infinities Song, although it’s possible the latter is a typo for Infinity’s Song, a family band West has supported in recent months.
Invite artwork by Nick Knight pic.twitter.com...
The show will be directed by performance artist Vanessa Beecroft and feature music from West’s Sunday Service choir. The gold-plated invite for the show (designed by Nick Knight) also lists music from Peter Colins & Infinities Song, although it’s possible the latter is a typo for Infinity’s Song, a family band West has supported in recent months.
Invite artwork by Nick Knight pic.twitter.com...
- 11/18/2019
- by Jon Blistein
- Rollingstone.com
Kim Kardashian West is one of the most controversial actresses in Hollywood. Kim is an American media personality, businesswoman, socialite, model, and actress recently went ahead on her social media and announced her new venture - Kimono. She captioned it as, ?Finally I can share with you guys this project that I have been developing for the last year. I?ve been passionate about this for 15 years. Kimono is my take on shapewear and solutions for women that actually work. Photos by Vanessa Beecroft.?
As per Cambridge dictionary, Kimono is a long, loose traditional Japanese robe with wide sleeves, tied with a sash. It is a garment similar to a kimono worn elsewhere as a dressing gown.
Also, read:?Kim-Kanye announced the name of their champ!?
In the pictures, we see Kim posing in her own fashion brand?s skin color outfit with no makeup and her hair was tied in a tight ponytail.
As per Cambridge dictionary, Kimono is a long, loose traditional Japanese robe with wide sleeves, tied with a sash. It is a garment similar to a kimono worn elsewhere as a dressing gown.
Also, read:?Kim-Kanye announced the name of their champ!?
In the pictures, we see Kim posing in her own fashion brand?s skin color outfit with no makeup and her hair was tied in a tight ponytail.
- 6/26/2019
- GlamSham
Is it weird for a perfume bottle to be out new #FitnessGoals? On April 25, Kim Kardashian posted images of the Kkw Body fragrance bottle that she's been stripping down to promote recently, and it's very, Very sexy! She may have had a baby recently, but she was expecting via surrogate, so Kim's still rocking an insanely flat stomach! Unlike sisters Kylie Jenner and Khloé Kardashian — who were both sporting baby bumps up until recently — the 37-year-old has been posing naked on Instagram to show off her toned Af abs... in a series of very, very, very Nsfw snaps. It all started when the mother-of-three left nothing to the imagination when she snapped a pic for her new fragrance by lying down with her arm covering her breasts and nothing covering her, ahem, nether regions. "Kkw Body 4.30 by Vanessa Beecroft #Kkwfragrance," she captioned the photo on her actual Instagram page. On...
- 4/26/2018
- by Life & Style Magazine
- Life and Style
Kanye West took a lighter approach than usual in his latest Twitter musings. “A dream of mine would be to do a project where I work side by side with Raf Simmons, Helmut Lang, Vanessa Beecroft and Martin Margiela,” West tweeted Wednesday, naming several top fashion designers. “Imagine if the people I named went to high school 2gthr and had a project to do for school,” he continued. “Just creating in a fun simple way with no politics…” Also Read: Hear Kanye West's Freak Out Before 'SNL' Appearance (Audio) West went on to say that he has...
- 2/18/2016
- by Joe Otterson
- The Wrap
Kanye West, possibly the most acclaimed and polarizing rappers of the last decade, has a lot of thoughts about a lot things, some of which he shared in an interview with French media outlet Clique. West took part in the interview during a trip to Paris for or fashion week alongside wife Kim Kardashian West. A major theme of the Clique interview, which was filmed in the offices of designer Jean Touitou, was West's ambition as an artist and human being. Another was discrimination - and the future. "It's like a bouncing ball in a room of two cats or something,...
- 3/14/2015
- by Adam Carlson, @acarlson91
- PEOPLE.com
They say imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, right? Kim Kardashian is getting some heat for a recent photo she snapped with her glam squad while in Australia. The group is seen posing alongside several mannequins in poses that were reminiscent of Solange Knowles' wedding photos. Truth be told, Beyoncé's sister credited contemporary artist Vanessa Beecroft for inspiring that particular set of photographs from her special day—so it's a few degrees of imitation all around! During Kardashian's trip Down Under, she opened up about that other famous photo that garnered tons of attention last week. "I'm very confident about that," she explained...
- 11/20/2014
- E! Online
Over the weekend she married her 51-year-old fiancé Alan Ferguson and Solange Knowles walked down the aisle in style!
The 28-year-old singer got hitched in New Orleans and wore a magnificent bridal gown designed by her good friend Humberto Leon for Kenzo.
Solange gushed to Vogue, “Everyone I worked with on the wedding are friends who I love. Everything was a labor of love.”
Rog Walker handled the official wedding portraits while Italian artist Vanessa Beecroft created an all-female family tableau with sister Beyonce Knowles and mom Tina Knowles.
The 28-year-old singer got hitched in New Orleans and wore a magnificent bridal gown designed by her good friend Humberto Leon for Kenzo.
Solange gushed to Vogue, “Everyone I worked with on the wedding are friends who I love. Everything was a labor of love.”
Rog Walker handled the official wedding portraits while Italian artist Vanessa Beecroft created an all-female family tableau with sister Beyonce Knowles and mom Tina Knowles.
- 11/17/2014
- GossipCenter
Kanye West is sorta apologizing for a story he told about famed photographer Annie Leibovitz dropping out as his and Kim Kardashian's wedding photographer.
While speaking at the 2014 Cannes Lions Festival on Tuesday, the 37-year-old rapper explained that Leibovitz "pulled out of the wedding" the day before the ceremony forcing him to work on and retouch their first kiss photo for four days post-ceremony. And today, Kanye and Leibovitz released a joint statement clarifying the whole ordeal.
"Annie would have been happy to do the portrait but she was never confirmed," said a representative for Leibovitz.
It was Kanye's dream to bring together for the wedding his favorite creatives.Ricardo Tisci on the dress, Vanessa Beecroft on the experience, and Andrea Bocelli.Kim's favorite singer.singing Kim's favorite song as she walked down the aisle. The first choice to capture one of the most special days in Kim and Kanye's life: Annie Leibovitz.
While speaking at the 2014 Cannes Lions Festival on Tuesday, the 37-year-old rapper explained that Leibovitz "pulled out of the wedding" the day before the ceremony forcing him to work on and retouch their first kiss photo for four days post-ceremony. And today, Kanye and Leibovitz released a joint statement clarifying the whole ordeal.
"Annie would have been happy to do the portrait but she was never confirmed," said a representative for Leibovitz.
It was Kanye's dream to bring together for the wedding his favorite creatives.Ricardo Tisci on the dress, Vanessa Beecroft on the experience, and Andrea Bocelli.Kim's favorite singer.singing Kim's favorite song as she walked down the aisle. The first choice to capture one of the most special days in Kim and Kanye's life: Annie Leibovitz.
- 6/20/2014
- icelebz.com
He stirred the pot while speaking at the 2014 Cannes Lions Festival this week after his remarks about famed photographer Annie Leibovitz, and now it looks like Kanye West is backtracking on his negative comments.
On Tuesday, the 37-year-old rapper said that the Vogue photographer “pulled out of” his wedding with Kim Kardashian the day before the ceremony. As a result, Kanye was forced to retouch the couple’s first kiss photo for four days after the Italian event before posting it to Instagram.
After West’s comments caused a ruckus, Annie and Kanye released a joint statement, which read:
Kanye West's comments about Annie Leibovitz while speaking at the 2014 Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival have been taken out of context and sensationalized.
Although Kanye expressed frustration that he was not able to collaborate with Annie Leibovitz at his recent wedding, he is not assigning blame, and is not accusing Annie in any way.
On Tuesday, the 37-year-old rapper said that the Vogue photographer “pulled out of” his wedding with Kim Kardashian the day before the ceremony. As a result, Kanye was forced to retouch the couple’s first kiss photo for four days after the Italian event before posting it to Instagram.
After West’s comments caused a ruckus, Annie and Kanye released a joint statement, which read:
Kanye West's comments about Annie Leibovitz while speaking at the 2014 Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival have been taken out of context and sensationalized.
Although Kanye expressed frustration that he was not able to collaborate with Annie Leibovitz at his recent wedding, he is not assigning blame, and is not accusing Annie in any way.
- 6/19/2014
- GossipCenter
Now that Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are officially married, it's time for the real fun to begin. The party is in full effect at the sweeping Forte di Belvedere in Florence, Italy, where the couple exchanged vows on Saturday before a wall of flowers - echoing the lavish Mother's Day gift West gifted to his bride earlier this month. Adding to the glamorous backdrop: more than $100,000 worth of floral arrangements from one of Florence's oldest flower shops, Fiori Della Signoria. The shop delivered arrangements to the fort earlier in the day, including tuberose flowers, a fragrant white bloom indigenous to Mexico.
- 5/24/2014
- by Michelle Tauber, Jennifer Garcia and Mary Green
- PEOPLE.com
Now that Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are officially married, it's time for the real fun to begin. The party is in full effect at the sweeping Forte di Belvedere in Florence, Italy, where the couple exchanged vows on Saturday before a wall of flowers - echoing the lavish Mother's Day gift West gifted to his bride earlier this month. Adding to the glamorous backdrop: more than $100,000 worth of floral arrangements from one of Florence's oldest flower shops, Fiori Della Signoria. The shop delivered arrangements to the fort earlier in the day, including tuberose flowers, a fragrant white bloom indigenous to Mexico.
- 5/24/2014
- by Michelle Tauber, Jennifer Garcia and Mary Green
- PEOPLE.com
The Wedding of the Century has finally taken place: Yes, Kim Kardashian and Kanye West officially tied the knot on Saturday.
The ceremony was held in front of nearly 200 family member and friends in Florence, Italy, People reports. Details about the extravagant, multi-day celebration have been making headlines for weeks; this is a couple whose everyday lives are filmed for TV cameras, after all.
If this was indeed a private affair – reportedly some of the events, but likely not the ceremony itself, will appear on Keeping Up With the Kardashians — where is the line drawn between Kimye’s public persona and their personal life?...
The ceremony was held in front of nearly 200 family member and friends in Florence, Italy, People reports. Details about the extravagant, multi-day celebration have been making headlines for weeks; this is a couple whose everyday lives are filmed for TV cameras, after all.
If this was indeed a private affair – reportedly some of the events, but likely not the ceremony itself, will appear on Keeping Up With the Kardashians — where is the line drawn between Kimye’s public persona and their personal life?...
- 5/24/2014
- by Amber Ray
- EW.com - PopWatch
Held in conjunction with Christie’s, the Sara Charlton Charitable Foundation (Sccf) hosted a charity gala and auction for In The Name of Honour, a ground-breaking Contemporary art exhibition at One Mayfair exploring violence against women, gender and the female body. Taking place from 19–22 September, the exhibition is open to the public, while the Gala Event last night, on 18 September, raised in excess of £230,000 through a live art auction of ten artworks, a silent auction of celebrity sketches as well as sales of artworks in the exhibition and pledges.
“We are overwhelmed by the amount of support we have received,” comment Sccf CEO and COO Antonia Packard and Rhea Gargour. “It is immensely inspiring to have had so many artists and celebrities donate their works for this cause, and all proceeds will go directly to those who are most in need of it – the amount of women suffering from domestic...
“We are overwhelmed by the amount of support we have received,” comment Sccf CEO and COO Antonia Packard and Rhea Gargour. “It is immensely inspiring to have had so many artists and celebrities donate their works for this cause, and all proceeds will go directly to those who are most in need of it – the amount of women suffering from domestic...
- 9/24/2013
- by Press Releases
- Bollyspice
Held in conjunction with Christie’s, the Sara Charlton Charitable Foundation (Sccf) is hosting In The Name of Honour, a ground-breaking Contemporary art exhibition at One Mayfair exploring violence against women, gender and the female body. Taking place from 19–22 September, the exhibition will open with a special Gala Event on 18 September at One Mayfair.
With one in four women in the UK suffering abuse in their lifetime, and with some 3000 reported cases of honour-based violence each year, there is an urgent need for action. The 18-22 September 2013 will mark an important week as the Sccf launches their gala evening and sale of artworks to raise funds for victims of abuse. The artworks will be on display and open to the public until 22 September, during which time educational days, workshops and artist talks will also take place. Top Criminal Behavioural Analyst Laura Richards is advising the Sccf on its educational programme.
With one in four women in the UK suffering abuse in their lifetime, and with some 3000 reported cases of honour-based violence each year, there is an urgent need for action. The 18-22 September 2013 will mark an important week as the Sccf launches their gala evening and sale of artworks to raise funds for victims of abuse. The artworks will be on display and open to the public until 22 September, during which time educational days, workshops and artist talks will also take place. Top Criminal Behavioural Analyst Laura Richards is advising the Sccf on its educational programme.
- 8/19/2013
- by Press Releases
- Bollyspice
The Art Star and Sudanese Twins
Sundance Film Festival
PARK CITY -- New Zealand filmmaker Pietra Brettkelly takes on a fascinating subject in The Art Star and the Sudanese Twins, which is competing in the world documentary category at Sundance.
The art star of the title is Vanessa Beecroft, who specializes in trendy photo collages, often involving nude women arrayed in provocative poses. While gallery owners gush about her innovative approach, viewers can't help asking if there's an exploitative element to her work, and this question carries over to the central issue in the film.
On a trip to the Sudan to photograph refugees, Beecroft discovers a pair of infant twins whose mother died. She becomes obsessed with the idea of adopting them and bringing them back to New York, where she lives with her husband, an anthropologist.
The film follows Beecroft over the course of 16 months, surveying her art shows as well as her visits to Africa as she negotiates to adopt the twins. But as her husband, Greg Durkin, asks pointedly, is she motivated by humanitarian impulses, or is she mesmerized by the exotic allure of underprivileged orphans? Has she been inspired by celebrities like Angelina Jolie? In short, does her attraction to the twins have the same exploitative element visible in her art? Photographs of her nursing the two black infants certainly inspire a queasy reaction in viewers.
To the film's credit, it retains a measure of sympathy for Vanessa even as it questions her motives. Brettkelly obviously earned the trust of her subject, for she was able to include interviews with Beecroft's divorced parents, her Italian mother and British father. In fact, the artist's own fractured childhood clearly had something to do with her interest in rescuing the twins and giving them a stable home life.
The film is sharply edited by Irena Dol, and the scenes in Africa, strikingly photographed by Jacob Bryant, have impressive scope. Yet despite its craftsmanship and candor, the film ends as something of a disappointment.
For one thing, questions about the adoption and about Beecroft's troubled marriage are left unresolved. The bureaucratic challenges to the adoption prove more formidable than Beecroft imagined, so we're left without a clear conclusion.
It probably would have taken a few more years of filming to have answered the most pertinent question: Can this kind of celebrity adoption work out satisfyingly for either parents or children? It's possible that the director never really made up her own mind about the implications of Beecroft's art or her parenting impulses.
Art Star is a provocative undertaking with a fascinating cast of characters, but it leaves us seeking answers that the filmmaker refuses to provide.
THE ART STAR AND THE SUDANESE TWINS
RingTheJing Entertainment Ltd.
Credits:
Director-Producer: Pietra Brettkelly
Director of photography: Jacob Bryant
Music: Anika Moa
Editor: Irena Dol
Running time -- 95 minutes
No MPAA rating...
PARK CITY -- New Zealand filmmaker Pietra Brettkelly takes on a fascinating subject in The Art Star and the Sudanese Twins, which is competing in the world documentary category at Sundance.
The art star of the title is Vanessa Beecroft, who specializes in trendy photo collages, often involving nude women arrayed in provocative poses. While gallery owners gush about her innovative approach, viewers can't help asking if there's an exploitative element to her work, and this question carries over to the central issue in the film.
On a trip to the Sudan to photograph refugees, Beecroft discovers a pair of infant twins whose mother died. She becomes obsessed with the idea of adopting them and bringing them back to New York, where she lives with her husband, an anthropologist.
The film follows Beecroft over the course of 16 months, surveying her art shows as well as her visits to Africa as she negotiates to adopt the twins. But as her husband, Greg Durkin, asks pointedly, is she motivated by humanitarian impulses, or is she mesmerized by the exotic allure of underprivileged orphans? Has she been inspired by celebrities like Angelina Jolie? In short, does her attraction to the twins have the same exploitative element visible in her art? Photographs of her nursing the two black infants certainly inspire a queasy reaction in viewers.
To the film's credit, it retains a measure of sympathy for Vanessa even as it questions her motives. Brettkelly obviously earned the trust of her subject, for she was able to include interviews with Beecroft's divorced parents, her Italian mother and British father. In fact, the artist's own fractured childhood clearly had something to do with her interest in rescuing the twins and giving them a stable home life.
The film is sharply edited by Irena Dol, and the scenes in Africa, strikingly photographed by Jacob Bryant, have impressive scope. Yet despite its craftsmanship and candor, the film ends as something of a disappointment.
For one thing, questions about the adoption and about Beecroft's troubled marriage are left unresolved. The bureaucratic challenges to the adoption prove more formidable than Beecroft imagined, so we're left without a clear conclusion.
It probably would have taken a few more years of filming to have answered the most pertinent question: Can this kind of celebrity adoption work out satisfyingly for either parents or children? It's possible that the director never really made up her own mind about the implications of Beecroft's art or her parenting impulses.
Art Star is a provocative undertaking with a fascinating cast of characters, but it leaves us seeking answers that the filmmaker refuses to provide.
THE ART STAR AND THE SUDANESE TWINS
RingTheJing Entertainment Ltd.
Credits:
Director-Producer: Pietra Brettkelly
Director of photography: Jacob Bryant
Music: Anika Moa
Editor: Irena Dol
Running time -- 95 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 1/21/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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