Donyale Luna: Supermodel

Directed By Nailah Jefferson

Explores the amazing life and career of Donyale Luna, as one of the first black models to appear on the cover of Vogue and Harper's Bazaar in Europe.

  • ABOUT
  • BIO
Donyale Luna: Supermodel chronicles the remarkable life and career of Donyale Luna, the first Black model to grace the cover of both Harper's Bazaar and Vogue. Born Peggy Ann Freeman in Detroit, Michigan, Luna became a larger-than-life character who broke barriers in the fashion industry, challenged the prevailing ideals of beauty, and influenced culture — all before her untimely death at age 33.

Nailah Jefferson is a New Orleans born filmmaker intrigued and inspired by the enduring human spirit, whose work spans fiction and nonfiction. Her most recent film,

“Commuted,” premiered at the 2023 New Orleans film festival where it won the AudienceAward for Best Documentary and Best Louisiana Documentary. “Commuted”told the story of Danielle Metz, a woman whose triple life drug sentence was commuted by President Obama after serving 23 years. The film is available on PBS. 2023 also saw the debut of Nailah’s acclaimed HBO Original documentary, “Donyale Luna: Supermodel” about the first Black supermodel to grace the covers of Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar, but whose legacy was lost to history. The film was nominated for a 2024 Grierson Trust Award for Best Arts Documentary.