Words Stephen Greco Photography Alistair-Young

Published in No 18

Frédéric Tcheng says he was nervous before showing a rough cut of his 2023 film Invisible Beauty to the person whose life and work the film is based on, Bethann Hardison, the former fashion model and agent who became a formidable champion for greater representation of people of color in the fashion industry. The film had given him an opportunity “to go much deeper than in any of my other films and explore the different sides of a human being.” He didn’t want to disappoint himself or Hardison. “I knew that she would tell me the truth about the film,” he says. “That's just how she goes about life.” But Hardison’s reaction pleased the filmmaker. “I could tell immediately that she was... I don't know, lost for words. She said, ‘I can see it now. You've made me a believer in my own story.’”