CALENDAR GIRL, A Film by Christian D. Bruun

Award-Winning Documentary CALENDAR GIRL Celebrates the Life of Ruth Finley, Founder of the Iconic Fashion Calendar

Coming to VOD in the U.S. on International Women’s Day, 

March 8, 2022 via Digital Distributor Syndicado


For over 70 years, Ruth Finley and the game-changing Fashion Calendar she founded, scheduled every fashion event in New York City. At 95, she sold the calendar, ending an era. Filmmaker Christian D. Bruun celebrates the life of the charming and legendary Ruth Finley in his award-winning feature documentary Calendar Girl. Digital distributor Syndicado is releasing the film on VOD in the U.S. including Google TV, Apple TV, Vudu and InDemand starting March 8, which also is International Women’s Day. Calendar Girl took home the Best Documentary Jury Award at Los Angeles Fashion Film Festival 2021, and was also an Official Selection of Berkshire International Film Festival 2021, DOC NYC 2020, among many others. 

Ruth Finley, a pocket-sized woman of immense determination, has been the queen of the fashion industry since the 1940s. As a young mother, Finley created the iconic pink Fashion Calendar, a publication that continues to organize and marshal American fashion today. In 2014, Ruth retired at 95 and sold the Fashion Calendar to the Council of Fashion Designers of America. The documentary examines this momentous transition, and reflects on the life, work and legacy of this trailblazer and the industry she helped create. This is the story of a woman who carved out a place for herself in a man's world and developed a reputation characterized by tenacity, perseverance, fairness, humanity, diplomacy and decency. Finley influenced the inner workings of New York fashion, she celebrated and was celebrated by both the industry's powerhouses and rising stars, and she survived its many incarnations. Her story is told by industry insiders, her sons, and friends, who bear witness to her long career as publisher, entrepreneur, patron saint and fairy godmother to fashion designers. Featuring Bill Cunningham, Carolina Herrera, Nicole Miller, Diane von Furstenberg, and more, this joyous profile is a love letter to fashion and the extraordinary life of one remarkable woman.

“When I met Ruth Finley for the first time over coffee in her apartment in 2014, she was not someone who readily talked about herself, but with the sale of the Calendar, she was prepared to share her thoughts, and her outlook on life resonated with me,” said Calendar Girl director, producer and cinematographer Christian D. Bruun. “I was committed to understanding her long life and character—she disrupted and redefined an enormous and influential industry, and did so consistently without a narcissistic craving for the spotlight. The film explores her impact on fashion, but at its core, is an intimate portrait of Ruth, focused on personal moments and reflection.”

About the Filmmaker:

Christian D. Bruun is a director, producer and cinematographer of documentary and narrative film and television. His films have had international theatrical and television distribution and been in official selection at Sundance, Tribeca, Berlin, Locarno, IDFA and Hot Docs festivals. In addition to directing Calendar Girl, Bruun recently produced civil rights drama Son of the South (released November 2020, produced by Spike Lee, directed by Barry Alexander Brown, starring Brian Dennehy). He is developing the narrative film Candy about transgender Andy Warhol muse Candy Darling and directing a documentary film about contemporary art gallerist Marian Goodman as well as producing the International top 5% acclaimed Podcast, Monuments Woman. He recently completed The Burning Child and award-winning documentaries Please Hold the Line, Secondo Me and The Road Movie, winner of British National Film & TV Awards. Bruun produced The Man Who Saved the World, winner of the Danish Film Academy Awards and the Danish Film Critics Awards for best documentary film. He directed, produced, wrote and shot Blue Gold: American Jeans, acquired by Netflix.

Credits:

Director/Producer: Christian D. Bruun

Writer/Producer: Natalie Nudell

Executive Producers: Reika Alexander, Raphael Avigdor, Kate DelPizzo, Kikka Hanazawa, Tracy Jenkins Yoshimura, Angela Sun

Associate Producers: Teresa Lai, Mark Romeo, Mary Hackley

Editor: Rosie Nakamura

Cinematographer: Christian D. Bruun

Composer: Deron Johnson

Production Company: DitlevFilms

North American Distributor: Syndicado

USA | 2022 | 91 min | 2K | 1:1.90 | Stereo 5.1 | English

Film website: https://www.calendargirlfilm.com/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ruthcalendarfilm 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ruthcalendarfilm/ 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/film_ruth 

ABOUT Syndicado

Founded in 2009, Syndicado is a North American based all rights film & TV distribution company focused on English language programming.

https://syndicado.com/ 

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PRESS HIGHLIGHTS:

Rotten Tomatoes: 100% Fresh

The New York Times

WNYC Documentary of the Week

Alliance of Women Film Journalists - Movie of the Week (#MOTW)

RogerEbert.com

Film Threat

EW.com

Women and Hollywood

AM New York

Brian Geldin