The 17th edition of A Shaded View on Fashion Film (ASVOFF), staged from November 13 to 16 at Dover Street Market Paris, was not just another festival—it was a sharp corrective to the complacency often found at the intersection of luxury, culture, and creative industries. Where most branded showcases spin glossy fantasies, ASVOFF 17 returned with the kind of urgency and intellectual stamina that fashion film desperately needs today. Curated by Diane Pernet, the event’s thematic breadth and uncompromising programming made clear that fashion film, at its best, is political, personal, and piercingly relevant.
The program worked as a mirror reflecting the anxieties and aspirations of contemporary society. Mental health in fashion wasn’t treated as a token topic—it was an unflinching interrogation of the toxic structures and pressures haunting both emerging and established creatives. Sitting beside that were films tackling the evolving, sometimes chilling, capabilities of artificial intelligence in storytelling; the festival did not shy away from asking whether AI-generated cinema is an artistic leap or a capitulation to viral trendiness.
Further, the forum for “Fashion Activism” and “Queer Archive” refused easy sentimentality. Instead, ASVOFF 17 demanded we confront what visibility, activism, and difference actually mean in a field that routinely exploits and then erases the marginalized. Student filmmakers, queer voices, and Chinese creators found equal footing. Such diversity was not mere inclusion; it was a challenge to the gatekeeping still rampant in both film and style.
The program highlighted a rich spectrum of voices:
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Willy Chavarria, last year’s Grand Prize winner for “Safe From Harm,” presided as jury president, bringing a strong focus on dignity and struggle within fashion narratives.
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Films were awarded across newly introduced categories, such as the M·A·C Beauty Prize, ENG powered the Chinese Fashion Film theme while Chantelle powered the Documentary Films. Goldfinch Entertainment gave a Writer’s Award and Dreamtown the Innovator Award.
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Award winners included Maximilian Raynor (“Manor for Heaven” – Best Student Film), Zhichao Gu (“Solemate” – Best Chinese Fashion Film powered by ENG), Yongqi Li (“OmniTrans.cam” – Best AI-Generated Film), Eric Jiang (“Three Aces” – Best Mental Health in Fashion), Carlos Jaramillo (“Heart of the Valley” – Best Documentary powered by Chantelle), and others across categories such as Fashion Activism, Queer Archive, Black Spectrum, and Cinematography.
- Best Advertising : Valentino by Glen Luchford, Christopher Simmonds Best Acting: Tales From the Bridge: The Misfit by Boa Campbell, MC Beauty Prize: La Latino by Alberto Vargas, Best Stylibg: Dove Nicol – SKY by Emmanuel Affedzie, Best Sound Award: Cut Throat by Steven Klein, Best Editing: Saint Etienne Take Me To The Pilot by Aladair McLellan, Best Cinematography: Hotel Tango by Vladilaw Sinchuk, Best Art Direction: Out Of Office by ax Gold, Best Director: Gamma Gamma -Avrio Vrady by Vasilis Katsoupis and Grand Prize: Temple Road by Anil Padia, Michael Mwangi Maina.
Thank you to all the directors who submitted films, to the Jury: Willy Chavarria, President, Pascale K Douglas, Fecal Matter, M J Harper, Raphael Aviges, Manish Arora, Eric Daman, Martine Sitbon, Tristan Hickey, Marc Ascoli, Martine Sitbon, Pam Boy.
Later,
Diane
