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The Arts Intel Report

Beyond the Gaze: Jule Campbell's Swimsuit Issue

Portrait of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Editor Jule Campbell (right) and Julie Stern (left) in 1994.

Streaming on IFC Center

When you think of the word “feminist,” the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue does not leap to mind. A new documentary by Jill Campbell, however, comes as a corrective. Beyond the Gaze: Jule Campbell’s Swimsuit Issue tells the true story of the woman whose idea to promote swimwear in a sport’s magazine created the highest-grossing issues of Sports Illustrated. Jill Campbell is Jule’s daughter-in-law, and her film shows how this female editor mastered the male gaze. The documentary opens at New York’s IFC on June 25, and the screenings on June 25 and 26 include a Q&A with Roshumba Williams, Kim Alexis, and Jill Campbell. —Hannah Gross

Manny Millan /Sports Illustrated via Getty Images