Sephora has unveiled a film at Sundance, its first-ever global film that it said will “shed light on the purpose of beauty”. Called Beauty & Belonging, it was directed by filmmaker Anastasia Mikova and “offers a fascinating exploration of the world of beauty and how people around the world define beauty for themselves”.

It comprises “an immersion into conversations with over 75 Sephora employees and founders of iconic beauty brands”. It was shot in studios and real-life environments over six months and in eight countries — Canada, the US, Brazil, France, the UK, Poland, Thailand, and China.

The company “gave full freedom to Anastasia Mikova to authentically capture the essence of Sephora’s DNA through her camera”. 

The film “explores individual experiences and perspectives on beauty such as the meaning of applying makeup for the first-time as well as the importance of an inclusive view of beauty, and how to free yourself from the gaze of others and stand out in your way”.

It also includes testimonies from brand founders such as Christine Chang and Sarah Lee from Glow Recipe, Danessa Myricks from Danessa Myricks Beauty, Mario Dedivanovic from Makeup by Mario, Mathilde Thomas from Caudalie, and Akash and Nikita Mehta from Fable & Mane.

The company has worked with Mikova before when it sponsored an exhibition linked to a film she co-directed and said it “strongly resonated with [her] vision of the world, and her drive to uncover our world’s most compelling societal issues by putting peoples’ lives at the heart of meaningful storytelling”.

The film is available on Sephora’s YouTube channel and its corporate site, Inside Sephora. And it said “many short films will be posted throughout the remainder of the year”.