By George Leon
Once again and in a few days fashion filmmakers from all over the world are converging to the quaint coastal village of La Jolla, California to compete and showcase their creativity on the silver screen. The most acclaimed visual artists, directors, cinematographers, producers, production designers, fashion designers, stylists, actors and models are for a snazzy show-down of originality and good taste in which storytelling is inherent to the aesthetics of fashion design and luxury brands.
Fashion film-making regardless of the storyline genre chosen to present the product or concept must be seductive and suggestive and at best, memorable. In most cases, fashion film-making serves as the pinnacle showcase of a worldwide fashion advertising campaign. as in the case of Guerlain's The Legend of Shalimar, directed by Bruno Aveillan, starring Natalia Vodianova, Coco Mademoiselle, directed by Joe Wright, starring Keira Knightley and Chanel № 5, directed by Baz Lurhmann, starring Nicole Kidman and most recently Tiffanny's watches, Love (In) New York, directed by Bruno Aveillan, starring Inna Zobova to name a few.
Fashion film-making whether is made for a television spot or for a web interstitial must be visually exalting about the qualities or craftsmanship of the product. From color, form, shape and materials as is in the case for haute couture, daily wear, luxury brand handbags or Manolo Blanhnik-like shoes to the subtle sensory experience of perfumes and cosmetics, jewelry and time pieces, and other consumer and luxury products. The "enduring mystique" of the brand or the birth of a new legend for public consumption rests ultimately on the hands of a talented fashion photographer or on the hands of a visionary film director.
For the last six years LJIFFF has climbed to dominate the fashion industry scene as the leading international marketplace for fashion films including a diverse line-up of films in competion and special Awards from the classic to the cutting edge, featuring such luminaries as Karl Largerfeld, Bruce Weber, Luca Finotti, Bruno Aveillan, Jonas Akerlund, Frank Funke, Matthew Frost, Jens Hallmann, Naqia Lee, and Zoe Hitchen, Ellen Von Unwerth, Indrani Pal-Chaudhuri, Marcus K. Jones, Karen Bystedt, producers Matthew Tucker, Joe Lombardo, Peter Isacksen, Marius Troy and Indira Cesarine among many others.
This year James Franco will be the recipient of the Innovators Award. When many Hollywood A-listers were just hearing about fashion films, James Franco was already ahead of the curve, from directing films for "7 For All Mankind", to producing the Gucci feature film "The Director" starring Frida Giannini.
Among the attendees supporting the filmmakers are fashion designers, fashionistas, fashion bloggers, fashion industry executives, advertising agency executives, magazine publishers, socialites and photographers from around the world packing the Museum of Contemporary Art/La Jolla during award's night.
Also see 2015 posters of films in competition here.
Also see 2015 posters of films in competition here.
2015 FILMMAKERS IN COMPETITION
