Prior to debuting “Lady Boss: The Jackie Collins Story” at Tribeca Film Festival, director Laura Fairrie told us that the documentary “tells the story of a woman who defines her own idea of a feminist fairy tale and sets about molding her life in that image.” A new trailer for the film sees interviewees reflecting on Collins’ trailblazing career and cultural impact.
“She put female sexuality at the center of the world and people lost their minds,” we’re told. The spot emphasizes that the late author, whose motto was “girls can do anything,” wrote “about strength and strong women,” and “broke ground for all us women.” Collins’ 32 novels have sold more than half a billion copies, and stirred up plenty of controversy along the way.
“Let’s think about the fact that during her lifetime, Jackie Collins was dismissed both as an author and advocate for women, despite the fact she […] made feminism accessible to so many women across the world,” Fairrie told us. “Jackie was ahead of her time in many ways, but she was also human and had her flaws. I would love people to think about her achievements and vulnerabilities, to recognize that women don’t have to be perfect and that our lives can be messy. Her personal brand of feminism was born out of her own life experiences, and I love the idea of seeing feminism in this way — as a tool of survival and a necessary act of defiance and freedom.”
Fairrie previously directed “The Battle for Barking,” a doc about the far-right in Britain that screened at Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Film Festival.
“Lady Boss: The Jackie Collins Story” premieres on CNN June 27 at 9:00PM ET and PT.
