Beyond the Gaze: Jule Campbell's Swimsuit Issue

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2:27

Beyond the Gaze: Jule Campbell's Swimsuit Issue

Jun 2025

1h 47m

Documentary

Biography

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Popcornmeter

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10 Reviews

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Fewer than 50 Ratings

Jule Campbell navigates a sexist workplace while confronting accusations of objectification during her 32-year tenure as founding editor of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition. Unyielding in her pursuit of artistic excellence, Campbell fortuitously launches mogul models and a mega-franchise. At 95 Campbell reflects on her legacy and impending mortality with the grace and intuition that guided her career presenting a fair and balanced portrait of a complex and fascinating woman and her controversial career.

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Q.V. Hough

Vague Visages

4d

"‘Beyond the Gaze’ effectively links the past and present timelines to accentuate the subject’s commitment to her craft and models."

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Jeanine T. Abraham

VisAbleBlackwoman (Medium)

6d

3/5

Beyond The Gaze: Julie Campbell’s Swimsuit Issue is one of those kinds of documentaries that you never thought you’d need to know about, but then become fascinated with once you know.

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Anne Brodie

What She Said

Nov 12

4/4

Publishing feminist pioneer Jule Campbell put together the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition for 32 years. It typically earned $15 M – 73 today - but this stalwart was always lowest paid Sports Illustrated editor. Not to be missed.

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Phil Walsh

Geek Vibes Nation

Nov 6

8/10

Beyond The Gaze is not an oral history on Sports Illustrated or an album on a person's life. Instead, it is frank documentation about a woman who left an enduring mark on our culture.

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Heidi Krull

MovieJawn

Aug 20

I felt so many overwhelming emotions during Beyond the Gaze, and it is impossible not to applaud the work Jill Campell put in to make her mother’s story come alive.

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Cate Marquis

AWFJ.org

Jul 9

In 1964, Jule Campbell took a throwaway assignment [and] turned it into [Sports Illustrated's] most popular and profitable issue...And Jule Campbell did this in an era when publishing, and especially sports, was almost exclusively the domain of white men.

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PJ S

Nov 24

"Beyond the Gaze" is a vibrant and eye-opening documentary that reframes the legacy of Jule Campbell, the pioneering editor who transformed the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue into a cultural force. Director Jill Campbell delivers a sharply crafted, emotionally grounded portrait that challenges long-held assumptions about beauty, feminism, and media. Through intimate storytelling and rich archival material, the film reveals how Jule championed agency and authenticity for the women she photographed—decades before those ideals were widely embraced. Engaging, insightful, and unexpectedly moving, Beyond the Gaze is both a tribute and a reclamation, offering a powerful new understanding of a woman who helped shape modern culture from behind the camera.

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Brooke M.

@BrookeMallon Oct 15

There are so many layers to appreciate about this film. Somehow as Jule Campbell was aging and physically fading away, her soul became more radiant. For me it left the reflection of what our real legacy is when we leave this earth and the way that we make people feel along the way.

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Lisa B

Oct 9

I saw this documentary yesterday followed by a Q&A session by Jill Campbell and Carol Alt. It was an eye-opening look at strong, intelligent woman who fought to protect the young, vulnerable women models who were objectived by the male-dominated magazine, Sports Illustrated.

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Beyond the Gaze: Jule Campbell's Swimsuit Issue: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Jule Campbell navigates a sexist workplace while confronting accusations of objectification during her 32-year tenure as founding editor of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition. Unyielding in her pursuit of artistic excellence, Campbell fortuitously launches mogul models and a mega-franchise. At 95 Campbell reflects on her legacy and impending mortality with the grace and intuition that guided her career presenting a fair and balanced portrait of a complex and fascinating woman and her controversial career.

Director: Jill Campbell
Producer: Jill Campbell, Robert J. Lyons, Jonathan Gray, Sharon Cooney Shuttleworth
Screenwriter: Jill Campbell
Distributor: Tribeca Films
Production Co: Red Barn Production Company
Genre: Documentary, Biography
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 25, 2025, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 11, 2025
Runtime: 1h 47m

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