Cecil Beaton was a man with an insatiable appetite for beauty. And for six decades his eye for beauty made him one of the most influential photographers and designers of the 20th century, whether chronicling the decadent Bright Young Things in 1920s England; photographing Greta Garbo and Gary Cooper and other legends of stage and screen; taking fashion photography to fantastical new places in Vogue; designing the Oscar® winning sets and costumes for My Fair Lady and Gigi; scandalizing society with his tell-all diaries; or producing iconic images of Mick Jagger and Twiggy in the ’60s.

A world-class dandy who was also a great war photographer, Beaton’s remarkable, star-studded life, filled with unrequited love, is captured in all its glamour and complexity in Lisa Immordino Vreeland’s delicious documentary. The narration is in Beaton’s own words, read by Rupert Everett. Among the interview subjects are David Hockney, Leslie Caron and Isaac Mizrahi.

In competition for the Schlesinger Award.