“High and Low: John Galliano”, interview with director Kevin Macdonald

October 28, 2023

Kevin MacDonald, director of High and Low: John Galliano:"i didn’t know where the film was going to go, it is open-ended and ambiguous as the audience has to ask questions"

"High and Low: John Galliano", interview with director Kevin Macdonald Chiara Nicoletti

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“I was looking for a way to make a film about what happens when famous people ‘transgress’ and understand how they deal with that experience and how they seek forgiveness from society” says director Kevin Macdonald when talking about the genesis of his new documentary, “High and Low:John Galliano” about the rise and fall of the famous designer.

Presented at the 18th Rome Film Fest, the film is a result of a 6 hour interview that MacDonald did to Galliano about his career and his mistakes, including that one video that kind of ruined his life as he was caught using shocking antisemitic and racist insults.

Featuring conversations with Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss, Penelope Cruz, Charlize Theron, Anna Wintour, Edward Enninful, Boris Cyrulnik, Hamish Bowles, and Sidney Toledano, among others, the documentary is about “what happens when you do something utterly unacceptable; how do you find forgiveness and redemption? Should you be forgiven?”. Macdonald states that he intended this film to be thought-provoking and nuanced and that the audiences leave questioning and discussing after they leave the theatre.

Plot

Widely recognized as one of the most influential and successful fashion designers of our time, John Galliano dressed the most beautiful and influential men and women in the world for almost 15 years at Givenchy and Dior. He reinvented the fashion industry by transforming his runway shows into immersive fantasies and helped turn high-fashion from an elitist niche into a multi-billion-dollar global business.
In 2011, Galliano’s career abruptly ended after being caught on video using shocking antisemitic and racist insults. Academy Award-winner® Kevin Macdonald's film investigates the multiple facets and contradictions of Galliano’s character and the context, including decades of industry pressure and drug and alcohol addiction, that surrounded his downfall and ongoing recovery. Through interviews with his closest friends and family, as well as some of the most well-known celebrities of the fashion and pop world, and with John Galliano himself, Macdonald portrays the man behind the fashion genius and his search for redemption.
Featuring conversations with Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss, Penelope Cruz, Charlize Theron, Anna Wintour, Edward Enninful, Boris Cyrulnik, Hamish Bowles, and Sidney Toledano, among others.

Written by: Chiara Nicoletti

Festa del Cinema di Roma John Galliano Kevin MacDonald