You are reading a WrapPRO article that has been made available for free. To access all our member-only stories and virtual events, Click Here to sign up for WrapPRO –> The Essential Source for Entertainment Insiders
For 19 years, Fabrizio Lombardo has stuck in my journalistic throat like a hairball that wouldn’t come up. To those who were on the entertainment circuit in the 2000s, he was well-known as Harvey Weinstein’s fixer in Europe, the sycophant who was at the mogul’s side at Cannes parties and a constant presence at the Venice Film Festival.
But who exactly was he and what did he do?
In 2017, I exposed Lombardo as Weinstein’s procurer of women while on the Disney payroll, making $400,000 in under a year in 2003-2004 as the head of Miramax Italy. He knew next to nothing about the film business.
Four women came forward to corroborate reporting I...
For 19 years, Fabrizio Lombardo has stuck in my journalistic throat like a hairball that wouldn’t come up. To those who were on the entertainment circuit in the 2000s, he was well-known as Harvey Weinstein’s fixer in Europe, the sycophant who was at the mogul’s side at Cannes parties and a constant presence at the Venice Film Festival.
But who exactly was he and what did he do?
In 2017, I exposed Lombardo as Weinstein’s procurer of women while on the Disney payroll, making $400,000 in under a year in 2003-2004 as the head of Miramax Italy. He knew next to nothing about the film business.
Four women came forward to corroborate reporting I...
- 4/9/2023
- by Sharon Waxman
- The Wrap
While nearly all civil suits against Harvey Weinstein were resolved by a global settlement, due to a New York law that temporarily lifts the statute of limitations on certain sexual misconduct claims he’s now facing a new legal fight over allegations that his former Miramax colleague raped a 19-year-old model two decades ago.
Sara Ziff on Thursday sued Weinstein, Miramax, Disney and others alleging that she was raped by Fabrizio Lombardo and that his position within the company directly facilitated it. She says that in 2001, when she was 19 and working as a model, her agents set up a meeting with Lombardo because she wanted to act. According to her complaint, which is embedded below, he invited her to a private screening of Black Hawk Down at the Miramax offices and told her Weinstein would be there. Hoping to make a connection with the powerful producer, she attended and later...
Sara Ziff on Thursday sued Weinstein, Miramax, Disney and others alleging that she was raped by Fabrizio Lombardo and that his position within the company directly facilitated it. She says that in 2001, when she was 19 and working as a model, her agents set up a meeting with Lombardo because she wanted to act. According to her complaint, which is embedded below, he invited her to a private screening of Black Hawk Down at the Miramax offices and told her Weinstein would be there. Hoping to make a connection with the powerful producer, she attended and later...
- 4/7/2023
- by Ashley Cullins
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Controversy is inspiring change in the wake of the explosive sexual harassment and assault revelations about film megaproducer Harvey Weinstein and his chronic misconduct. The entertainment industry is cracking open more accounts of persistent harassment and abuse, and policymakers are taking note. New York State Assemblywoman Nily Rozic, a Democrat of District 25 in Queens, has proposed new legislation to articulate greater protections for artists working in one of the more inherently vulnerable subsections of the entertainment industry: modeling. “If there is anything we are learning from over the past few weeks [it] is that we have reached a turning point whether to accept sexual harassment as a norm, or end the cycle by enacting protections and providing a path of recourse,” said Rozic in a statement released by her office. “No one should ever experience sexual harassment in or outside of the workplace.” Rozic wrote the legislation in coordination with the Model Alliance,...
- 11/1/2017
- backstage.com
Vogue magazine is reportedly turning a new page, promoting healthy living by making a pact to no longer employ emaciated models for their pages.
According to The Associated Press, the 19 editors of Vogue have agreed to "not knowingly work with models under the age of 16 or who appear to have an eating disorder."
Models' sizes have long been controversial. The point gained more traction in 2006 and 2007 following the death of two models that were believed to have suffered complications from eating disorders.
Related: Kris Humphries' Sister Kaela Now a Ford Model
As the foremost influence on the fashion world, Vogue's new commitment could revolutionize the business, which has grown accustomed to using models barely in their teens.
"Most editions of Vogue regularly hire models who are minors, so for Vogue to commit to no longer using models under the age of 16 marks an evolution in the industry," said Sara Ziff, a model who...
According to The Associated Press, the 19 editors of Vogue have agreed to "not knowingly work with models under the age of 16 or who appear to have an eating disorder."
Models' sizes have long been controversial. The point gained more traction in 2006 and 2007 following the death of two models that were believed to have suffered complications from eating disorders.
Related: Kris Humphries' Sister Kaela Now a Ford Model
As the foremost influence on the fashion world, Vogue's new commitment could revolutionize the business, which has grown accustomed to using models barely in their teens.
"Most editions of Vogue regularly hire models who are minors, so for Vogue to commit to no longer using models under the age of 16 marks an evolution in the industry," said Sara Ziff, a model who...
- 5/3/2012
- Entertainment Tonight
We have added a new set of pictures from the event "The Russian Winter Premiere at Tribeca".Natasha Bedingfield attending "The Russian Winter" premiere during the 11th Annual Tribeca Film Festival -in New York City.Photo copyright by Marco Sagliocco / PR Photos. Sarah Ziff attending "The Russian Winter" premiere during the 11th Annual Tribeca Film Festival -in New York City.Photo copyright by Marco Sagliocco / PR Photos. Petra Nemcova attending "The Russian Winter" premiere during the 11th Annual Tribeca Film Festival -in New York City.Photo copyright by Marco Sagliocco / PR Photos. John Forte and Petra Nemcova attending "The Russian Winter" premiere during the 11th Annual Tribeca Film Festival -in New York City.Photo copyright by Marco Sagliocco / PR Photos. Sarah...
- 4/23/2012
- by James Wray
- Monsters and Critics
On Friday night, the inspirational documentary The Russian Winter had its world premiere at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival. This event had Tff crowds buzzing and drew celebrities like Natasha Bedingfield, Petra Nemcova, Sara Ziff, Michael Kenneth Williams, Ben Taylor and many more. Perhaps the biggest thrill on the red carpet was the appearance of many of the musicians featured in the film: in addition to Bedingfield, Russian artists Sunsay and Alina Orlova crossed continents to be at the premiere in support of John Forte and the film. The Russian Winter is a stirring music documentary to be sure, but in many ways it is just as much a road movie. The film follows former Fugees member John Forte from his early years growing up in Brownsville, Brooklyn, to the prestigious Philip Exeter Academy, which he attended on scholarship, to a prison cell in Texas following a drug arrest, and ...
- 4/22/2012
- TribecaFilm.com
The Model Alliance, a new non-profit that was founded by supermodel Sara Ziff to organize and protect the rights of working fashion models, is continuing its quest to fight against child sexual abuse, sexual harassment, and the exposure of child models, ages 12-17, to cocaine and other drug usage in the industry.The organization has partnered with the Actors' Equity Association and the American Guild of Musical Artists to provide a service called ModelReports, for Model Alliance members and their agencies to confidentially report abuse, harassment, discrimination, and drug use on the job."If a photographer, employed by a client or an ad agency, asks a model under the age of 17 to pose nude, or implies that future work depends upon it, that’s not 'artistic,' it’s a crime," Alan Gordon, executive director of Agma, said in a statement. "If a photographer offers someone cocaine, that's not part of the 'creative process,...
- 4/11/2012
- by help@backstage.com (Daniel Lehman)
- backstage.com
Supermodel Sara Ziff Forms Model Alliance to Save Models and FashionSupermodel Sara Ziff cleans up the fashion industry from within with the Model Alliance, which launched in February.Model Alliance Shines Light on Model Working ConditionsThe Model Alliance asked working fashion models based in New York and Los Angeles to complete an anonymous online survey.Markets Are Opening Up for Plus-Size ModelsMore agencies, including Wilhelmina, are taking on plus-size models, with increasing gigs in fashion and catalogs.For Petite Women, Modeling Is a Tall OrderKate Moss is an exception to the rule that shorter women find it difficult to land modeling jobs.Male Models Can Make Modeling a Long-Term CareerWhile most female models are considered ready for retirement by the time they turn 25, males tend to start later.
- 4/5/2012
- by help@backstage.com ()
- backstage.com
"For a long time, there's been this very tired conversation about what images of skinny models are doing to the public, to the consumer," supermodel Sara Ziff says over coffee in New York's Gramercy Park neighborhood. "If you really want to do something about it," she argues, "you have to look at it from a labor standpoint and from a public health standpoint, and start with the worker - the model herself. How can we make sure that she is protected and is not working ridiculous hours, not having to drop out of school? It's been reported over and over that models on the runway are too thin, but what people fail to realize is that a lot of the time they have that body type because they're adolescents."Ziff knows what she's talking about. Discovered at age 14 while walking home from high school in New York City, she was.
- 4/4/2012
- by help@backstage.com (Daniel Lehman)
- backstage.com
Working in an industry built on child labour and exploitation, it's little wonder models have finally unionised
Model abuse – it sounds like a joke. What exactly do models need to be protected from? The clothes, perhaps, but that is another column, and less important. I don't mind the clothes; the clothes can't weep. With New York fashion week under way, two events – a documentary and a movement – detail the punishment of the model.
The documentary is Girl Model by David Redmon and Ashley Sabin. It is about sick people and it exemplifies the industry. It tells the story of Nadya Vall, a 13-year-old model from Siberia, who is scouted and sent to Tokyo to look for work – plucked from one wasteland, set down in another. Nadya is so young she wears a Teletubbies T-shirt and, like a child in a fairytale, falls into the hands of monsters. One is Tigran,...
Model abuse – it sounds like a joke. What exactly do models need to be protected from? The clothes, perhaps, but that is another column, and less important. I don't mind the clothes; the clothes can't weep. With New York fashion week under way, two events – a documentary and a movement – detail the punishment of the model.
The documentary is Girl Model by David Redmon and Ashley Sabin. It is about sick people and it exemplifies the industry. It tells the story of Nadya Vall, a 13-year-old model from Siberia, who is scouted and sent to Tokyo to look for work – plucked from one wasteland, set down in another. Nadya is so young she wears a Teletubbies T-shirt and, like a child in a fairytale, falls into the hands of monsters. One is Tigran,...
- 2/14/2012
- by Tanya Gold
- The Guardian - Film News
As New York prepares for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week to kick off on February 9, some models who will walk those runways are putting together a different kind of industry event.Their leader is Sara Ziff, a model who has worked with top designers such as Calvin Klein, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Tommy Hilfiger, and Stella McCartney. While she started her career at 14 years old, she graduated from Columbia University last year with a B.A. in Political Science, focusing on labor and community organizing. At 29, Ziff is the face of The Model Alliance, a non-profit organization she founded to improve the industry's working environment."There is a sense that fashion is frivolous and a lot of people don't understand models wanting to organize for better labor conditions," Ziff told "The Guardian." "They probably see the profession as a privilege."The world's perception of super models as glamorous millionaires belies the reality of the.
- 2/6/2012
- by help@backstage.com (Daniel Lehman)
- backstage.com
By Lita Robinson - October 12, 2010
“Picture Me: A Model’s Diary” follows Sara Ziff, a young model at the top of the fashion world, as she falls first in and then out of love with this stunningly inhuman industry. The daughter of a professor, Ziff comes from an educated and well-off family and her decision to go into modeling has put her at odds with her parents’ expectations. When the films starts she is nineteen and, having modeled since the age of fourteen her parents are ready for her to go to college (she, however, has other ideas). The film is shot primarily by Ziff’s boyfriend, Ole Schell, who follows her around the world for four crazy years of photo shoots and Fashion Weeks. Their relationship isn’t exactly clear—he seems much older than her, and he’s the only one watching out for her on these globe-trotting expeditions.
“Picture Me: A Model’s Diary” follows Sara Ziff, a young model at the top of the fashion world, as she falls first in and then out of love with this stunningly inhuman industry. The daughter of a professor, Ziff comes from an educated and well-off family and her decision to go into modeling has put her at odds with her parents’ expectations. When the films starts she is nineteen and, having modeled since the age of fourteen her parents are ready for her to go to college (she, however, has other ideas). The film is shot primarily by Ziff’s boyfriend, Ole Schell, who follows her around the world for four crazy years of photo shoots and Fashion Weeks. Their relationship isn’t exactly clear—he seems much older than her, and he’s the only one watching out for her on these globe-trotting expeditions.
- 10/12/2010
- by Screen Comment
- Screen Comment
Sneak Peek a new poster supporting the documentary "Picture Me: A Model's Diary", directed by Ole Schell and Sara Ziff, focusing on the backstage world of modeling.
Ziff also appears in the film, alongside notable fashion designers Karl Lagerfeld and Nicole Miller.
"...Ole Schell follows model Sara Ziff for over 5 years, documenting her rise in the world of high fashion.
The documentary shows footage filmed behind the scenes of shows, photo shoots and fashion events in New York, Milan and Paris, exposing a shocking, predatory reality to the business, much different than that which is presented to the public..."
Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Picture Me: A Model's Diary"...
Ziff also appears in the film, alongside notable fashion designers Karl Lagerfeld and Nicole Miller.
"...Ole Schell follows model Sara Ziff for over 5 years, documenting her rise in the world of high fashion.
The documentary shows footage filmed behind the scenes of shows, photo shoots and fashion events in New York, Milan and Paris, exposing a shocking, predatory reality to the business, much different than that which is presented to the public..."
Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Picture Me: A Model's Diary"...
- 9/25/2010
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
Click here to view the embedded video.
The blonde stunner lifts the veil on the glamorous world of high fashion as she examines sexual harassment, drug use and the constant pressure to stay thin!
While the need for models to stay thin and talks of drug and sexual abuse have long been discussed, no one has taken the time to examine these claims in a documentary — until now. 27-year-old Sara Ziff, who has famously modeled for the likes of Tommy Hilfiger and D & G, explores the effects of the modeling industry on its often incredibly young subjects in her new documentary, Picture Me.
Speaking with other well known models including Cameron Russell, Diana Dondoe, Caitriona Balfe, Lisa Cant, and Missy Rayder as well as designers including Karl Lagerfeld, Sara takes viewers into the often confusing and incredibly fantastical world of modeling.
You can check out the film now in NYC or beginning Sept.
The blonde stunner lifts the veil on the glamorous world of high fashion as she examines sexual harassment, drug use and the constant pressure to stay thin!
While the need for models to stay thin and talks of drug and sexual abuse have long been discussed, no one has taken the time to examine these claims in a documentary — until now. 27-year-old Sara Ziff, who has famously modeled for the likes of Tommy Hilfiger and D & G, explores the effects of the modeling industry on its often incredibly young subjects in her new documentary, Picture Me.
Speaking with other well known models including Cameron Russell, Diana Dondoe, Caitriona Balfe, Lisa Cant, and Missy Rayder as well as designers including Karl Lagerfeld, Sara takes viewers into the often confusing and incredibly fantastical world of modeling.
You can check out the film now in NYC or beginning Sept.
- 9/18/2010
- by cspargo
- HollywoodLife
The fashion documentary "Pic ture Me" proves that high- fashion models do indeed get their hair washed, put on clothes and walk in a straight line. But not much else. I have a lot of questions about models, but none is answered in this film by catwalker Sara Ziff and her boyfriend Ole Schell. Ziff still models and apparently isn't interested in burning bridges -- but intact infrastructure equals poor cinema. What, if anything, do models eat, and do their meals get fully digested? What do models make in a year?...
- 9/17/2010
- by By KYLE SMITH
- NYPost.com
I recently chatted with director Ole Schell after previewing his latest film, Picture Me which opens this week in NY. Ole previously screened Win in China, his documentary about a Chinese game show at the United Nations. From an economics point of view, there were two aspects of Picture Me and my follow-up discussion that grabbed my attention: (1) young women who succeed in the modeling industry can make vast sums of money by winning the genetics lottery of being tall, skinny and, of course, lucky and (2) according to Ole, a lion's share of the revenue usually falls to the agent, not the model. Concerning point (1), the film portrays Sarah Ziff rising from a new model with dreams of success to soon becoming apathetic about receiving six figure checks. Models openly joke in the film...
- 9/15/2010
- by Howard Steven Friedman
- Huffington Post
Directors: Ole Schell, Sara Ziff Starring: Sara Ziff, Karl Lagerfeld, Nicole Miller Sara Ziff began modeling at age 14. She started working as a full-time model after high school at age 18. Her [now ex-] boyfriend, Ole Schell, fresh out of film school follows Ziff with a video camera tirelessly documenting her full immersion into a career as a model. (Ziff, too, is armed with a video camera.) Ziff and Schell interview other models, as well as famous photographers and designers. They probably did not have a purpose early on, but after almost five years of footage (most of which resembles a personal video diary or home movie) the purpose becomes more apparent. Ziff and Schell’s resulting film -- Picture Me -- reveals the ugly side of the modelling industry...and I do not mean ugly models. Models are some of the most recognizable figures (mind the pun) of our time, yet other...
- 9/15/2010
- by Don Simpson
- SmellsLikeScreenSpirit
Until women reach a 50-50 parity with men directors, my mission continues to count the women directors in upcoming and recent film festivals (and an occasional informal glance at what’s selling in the markets). Women’s films in Berlin reflect women’s place in the world both in content and in the numbers of women represented as directors, producers, writers, etc. John Cooper of Sundance stresses the increasing and possibly 50-50 parity of women producers, but I am looking at the directors. As March is Women’s History Month (and all the other months are Men’s History Month according to Gloria Steinem’s L.A. Times Article of March 4, 2010) this blog is in honor of all women everywhere.
Congratulations to Kathryn Bigelow for winning the Academy Awards for Best Director and Best Picture. La Times puts into perspective the fact that the Best Director Oscar went to Kathryn Bigelow...
Congratulations to Kathryn Bigelow for winning the Academy Awards for Best Director and Best Picture. La Times puts into perspective the fact that the Best Director Oscar went to Kathryn Bigelow...
- 3/8/2010
- by Sydney
- Sydney's Buzz
The Cove director Louie Psihoyos blogs about the adventure in getting his Oscar-nominated doc out to the world at The Wrap. Find out about the film's comparisons to Avatar (yes, that Avatar), how it's inspired Quentin Tarrantino to think about making a doc and more.
Strand Releasing has acquired all U.S. rights to Picture Me, a documentary by Ole Schell and Sara Ziff about the glitzy world of high fashion modeling, from photo shoots with celebrated photographers to runway shows in New York, Milan, and Paris. New York-based Paladin acquired ...
Strand Releasing has acquired all U.S. rights to Picture Me, a documentary by Ole Schell and Sara Ziff about the glitzy world of high fashion modeling, from photo shoots with celebrated photographers to runway shows in New York, Milan, and Paris. New York-based Paladin acquired ...
- 2/19/2010
- by IDA Editorial Staff
- International Documentary Association
Strand Releasing will have their work cut out with their latest acquisition -- kind of hard to feel sorry for a fourteen year-old making more in a couple of hours of modeling work than what most people make in a full year. - Strand Releasing will have their work cut out with their latest acquisition -- kind of hard to feel sorry for a fourteen year-old making more in a couple of hours of modeling work than what most people make in a full year. The doc film, about the daily grind of being a fashion model is much more than that from what I gather in the doc's trailer - imagine a child being thrown in a very adult world and industry were people are easily disposable commodities takes some major adjusting. It may actually be as bad as child actors. Filmed by Ole Schell,...
- 2/18/2010
- IONCINEMA.com
Indie Roundup is your weekly guide to what's new and upcoming in the world of independent film. Pictured from left to right: Le Refuge, Countdown to Zero, and Picture Me.
Deals. It was another busy week of acquisition activity. Here's a quick rundown, with details courtesy of our friends at indieWIRE.
Strand Releasing picked up Francois Ozon's Le Refuge. Isabelle Carre stars as woman impregnated by her late boyfriend; she 'develops a strong bond with her boyfriend's brother.' Oh, the French! Look for it in theaters this spring. Magnolia Pictures grabbed the documentary Countdown to Zero, directed by Lucy Walker, a Sundance premiere that "follows the escalating global nuclear arms crisis." A fall release is in the works. IFC Films acquired Duncan Ward's satire Boogie Woogie, set in the contemporary London art scene. The cast is impressive, including Danny Huston, Stellan Skarsgard, Heather Graham, Alan Cumming, Christopher Lee,...
Deals. It was another busy week of acquisition activity. Here's a quick rundown, with details courtesy of our friends at indieWIRE.
Strand Releasing picked up Francois Ozon's Le Refuge. Isabelle Carre stars as woman impregnated by her late boyfriend; she 'develops a strong bond with her boyfriend's brother.' Oh, the French! Look for it in theaters this spring. Magnolia Pictures grabbed the documentary Countdown to Zero, directed by Lucy Walker, a Sundance premiere that "follows the escalating global nuclear arms crisis." A fall release is in the works. IFC Films acquired Duncan Ward's satire Boogie Woogie, set in the contemporary London art scene. The cast is impressive, including Danny Huston, Stellan Skarsgard, Heather Graham, Alan Cumming, Christopher Lee,...
- 2/17/2010
- by Peter Martin
- Cinematical
Strand Releasing has acquired all Us rights to "Picture Me," a documentary by Ole Schell and Sara Ziff which foes behind the scenes to chronicle the glitzy world of high fashion modeling, from photo shoots with celebrated photographers to runway shows in New York, Milan, and Paris. "We are thrilled to be working with Strand to release 'Picture Me,'" Schell and Ziff said in a statement. "It's a unique film that ...
- 2/16/2010
- Indiewire
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.