“An American national treasure,” fashion icon Andre Leon Talley describes Bill Cunningham. “He reminded me of a Buddhist monk living in the Himalayas… he was a very disciplined human being.” “He captured the world in a very special way.”

Talley, alongside Direcor Mark Bozek, a self-professed Angelika fan, stopped by the Angelika New York to discuss Bozek’s acclaimed documentary, THE TIMES OF BILL CUNNINGHAM. Talley speaks highly of Cunningham, touting his authenticity as his primary means of survival amid the harsh competitiveness of the fashion industry:

The admiration that Talley and Bozek have for Cunningham, when paired with the plethora of archival photographs and interview footage, made for a film that both audiences and critics are raving about. Variety calls it “a snapshot of a life that leaves you grateful for having encountered it,” and the Hollywood Reporter raves, “If you have a subject as delightful and forthcoming as the self-invented shutterbug, not to mention decades’ worth of fabulous footage and photographic records of high and low fashion, you really can’t have too much of a good thing.”

Cunningham’s authenticity lent itself to his thoughts on technology as well, with his unrelenting dedication to his film camera, and his refusal to get a cell phone:

Bozek was meticulous in searching through the copious amounts of images available to include in the film – 3 million archived images, 25,000 of which Bozek scanned to review – and wanted to make the film more about the documentation of the rich history of New York and fashion, rather than touting the celebrities that Cunningham photographed, making for a truly authentic process every step of the way.

View the full Q&A HERE, and SUBSCRIBE to the Angelika YouTube channel for more exclusive content!

About the film:

Told in Bill Cunningham’s own words from a recently unearthed six-hour 1994 interview, the iconic street photographer and fashion historian chronicles, in his customarily cheerful and plainspoken manner, moonlighting as a milliner in France during the Korean War, his unique relationship with First Lady Jackie Kennedy, his four decades at The New York Times and his democratic view of fashion and society. Narrated by Sarah Jessica Parker, The Times of Bill Cunningham features incredible photographs chosen from over 3 million previously unpublicized images and documents from Cunningham.

View the trailer:

Where to see it:

THE TIMES OF BILL CUNNINGHAM is now playing at Angelika New York, and opens March 6 at Angelika Dallas & Angelika Plano.