A curated list of feature films and documentaries that explore the magazine industry. These works cover various facets of print media, from investigative journalism and high fashion to the digital preservation and archiving of legacy publications.
Feature Films
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The French Dispatch (2021) Wes Anderson’s visual love letter to mid-century journalism is heavily inspired by the history, structure, and eccentric writers of The New Yorker. The movie is broken up into segments that meticulously recreate the feeling of reading different sections of a physical magazine issue.
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Shattered Glass (2003) A gripping, fact-based drama about editorial integrity. It chronicles the real-life rise and fall of Stephen Glass, a journalist who fabricated dozens of stories at The New Republic in the late 1990s, highlighting the rigorous (and sometimes flawed) fact-checking processes in print media.
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The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013) Focusing on the photo negative manager for Life magazine as the publication prepares its final printed issue, the film navigates the turbulent transition from physical print to a digital-only format.
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Almost Famous (2000) Cameron Crowe's semi-autobiographical coming-of-age story about a teenage writer who goes on tour with a rock band in the 1970s to write a cover story for Rolling Stone magazine.
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The Devil Wears Prada (2006) A highly entertaining fictionalized look at the ruthless, fast-paced environment of high-fashion magazine publishing, famously inspired by Anna Wintour and Vogue.
Documentaries
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Rolling Stone: Stories from the Edge (2017) A comprehensive, multi-part documentary series that looks at the last 50 years of American music, culture, and politics strictly through the lens of Rolling Stone magazine and its most famous writers.
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In Vogue: The Editor's Eye (2012) Taking a broad look at the visual history of the publication, this documentary focuses on the behind-the-scenes fashion editors who conceptualized Vogue's most iconic spreads over the decades.
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Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel (2011) An intimate, visually rich portrait of the legendary fashion editor who defined the look, aesthetic, and cultural impact of both Harper's Bazaar and Vogue.
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Mademoiselle C (2013) This documentary follows former Vogue Paris editor-in-chief Carine Roitfeld as she leaves the established publishing world to launch her own independent print magazine, CR Fashion Book.
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The September Issue (2009) A behind-the-scenes documentary detailing the production of the 2007 fall fashion issue of Vogue magazine.
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FHM: The Last of the Lads' Mags (2019) A look back at the rise and fall of the iconic British men's magazine, exploring its cultural impact and eventual decline.