It should come as no surprise that the woman most famous for cultivating an industry around surface beauty is somewhat impenetrable. Anna Wintour, editor of Vogue for 20 years, is nearly synonymous with high fashion and is a source of fascination herself. An extraordinary success in a cutthroat, multibillion-dollar business, Wintour inspires equal measures of fear and awe in all who encounter her. Prolific filmmaker and producer R.J. Cutler receives unprecedented access to Wintour and her colleagues as they put together their largest publication of the year, the September issue. The staff needs months of preparation to fill its 200-plus pages and to anticipate and dictate fashion trends for the season ahead. Cutler offers an insightful look into the labor, challenges and triumphs that go on behind the scenes to create a sense of breezy and effortless beauty. Cutler takes us to Europe and back, on shoots—and, more often, reshoots—behind wardrobe changes and closed-door meetings, and into the endless stream of back talking and bitter resentment. We encounter many of fashion’s cognoscenti— including tastemakers Jean Paul Gaultier, Oscar de la Renta and Karl Lagerfeld, photographer Mario Testino and fashion icon Sienna Miller, the issue’s cover girl. While ostensibly about the making of the issue, the film delivers its best dramatic moments when observing the decades- long rivalry between Wintour and Vogue’s enormously gifted stylist, Grace Coddington. The women bear a grudging respect for one another, and their competition no doubt pushes both to higher degrees of excellence. While Wintour remains an elusive figure, Cutler does capture a rare glimpse into the heart and soul of fashion’s high priestess, all the while offering extraordinary and at times delirious access into the making of America’s fashion bible.

Post-screening discussion moderated by Pulitzer Prize-winning fashion writer Robin Givhan and filmmaker R.J. Cutler. Be sure to catch the ‘Doc Talk’ on 6/18 from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. (see DOC TALK: CINEMA VERITE FILMMAKING).

Filmmaker Q&A

Introduce yourself:
R.J. Cutler is a documentary filmmaker and television producer. He has won an Emmy Award, a Peabody Award, a GLAAD Award and has been nominated for an Academy Award, two additional Emmys, a Producer's Guild Award, an NAACP Image Award, and an Independent Spirit Award, among others. Cutler’s feature documentaries include THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE (2009), THIN (2006), A PERFECT CANDIDATE (1996) and THE WAR ROOM (1993.) Cutler’s production company, Actual Reality Pictures, has produced over two-dozen television programs, including 30 DAYS (2005-2008), THE RESIDENTS (2004), FRESHMAN DIARIES (2003), and AMERICAN HIGH (2000-2001.)

What inspired this film? How did you find your subjects?
I first had the idea to make a film about Anna Wintour and Vogue Magazine after reading an article about Anna in New York Magazine. This was in the fall of 2005. I met with Anna a few weeks later and we decided to work together at that meeting. Other than Anna, I met all of the other subjects in the film (Grace, Andre, Thakoon, Tom, etc.) once filming began. It was far easier to get some of them to participate than others. The first time I met Grace, for instance, she said, “Get away from me.” She didn’t allow us to film with her for four months. Once she gave us the chance, though, she was fully on-board.



What were some of the biggest challenges/surprises?
Fashion industry professionals are very skeptical of camera crews.  They are used to people coming into their world with pre-conceived notions. They are not used to the cinema vérité approach—observational filmmaking driven by curiosity. Earning the trust of the folks at Vogue took a great deal of time and patience and was indee very challenging. I was surprised by the massive influence Vogue wields over the fashion industry, as well as the enormous level of talent represented by the current staff at Vogue. I don’t think it’s overstating the case to say that the team at Vogue is basically a hall-of-fame of fashion editors/journalists/stylists/photographers/etc. 


Who are some of your favorite filmmakers?
Terry Gilliam, Mike Nichols, DA Pennebaker, Woody Allen.


What is your all time favorite Documentary?
I’d have to go with CRISIS, the Drew Associates film about Bobby and Jack Kennedy taking on the Governor George Wallace, who was refusing to allow African American students to register at the University of Alabama. I also love the brilliant film DREAM DECEIVERS, David Van Taylor’s movie about the parents of a teenage suicide victim who sued the band Judas Priest for brainwashing their son.

What other projects are in the pipeline?
I’m working on a film called TASTE, about the chef Grant Achatz, who is widely considered to be the most exciting young talent in the culinary world. A film called COMEDY AT THE EDGE, based on Richard Zoglin’s book about stand-up comedy in American during the 1970s.



Why did you become a filmmaker?

For me, it was a way of joining my shared passions for theater and journalism.



What are some of your creative influences?

Impressionist Art, 70s Rock and Roll, Peanuts, Doonesbury, Marcel Proust, Oscar Wilde, Sam Shepard, Stanley Cavel, Morning Edition circa 1982.



Did you go to film school?

I went to USC, but did not graduate.



What do you shoot on?

THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE was shot on high-definition videotape, using the Panasonic HDX 900.

What has been the most unexpected thing to happen since taking the film on the festival circuit?
Anna Wintour watching the film at Sundance with her sunglasses on. Also, selling the film theatrically throughout the world. We had been told not to expect foreign theatrical distribution for the film, but that has not at all been the case.



Why did you want to screen your film at SILVERDOCS?

It’s one of the most important film festivals for non-fiction film in the world.