‘Naked Ambition’ Trailer – Dita Von Teese and Larry King Featured in Bunny Yeager Documentary Film

Naked Ambition is a new documentary film from directors Dennis Scholl and Kareem Tabsch, spotlighting legendary pinup model‑turned‑photographer Bunny Yeager. Known for popularizing the bikini, discovering Bettie Page, shaping Playboy’s visual style, and even inventing the modern selfie, Yeager’s story is told through archival materials and insightful interviews. The film brings together a compelling ensemble of voices including Dita Von Teese, Bruce Weber, and the late Larry King all sharing how Yeager transformed American visual culture.

This documentary premiered at DOC NYC in 2023, then later played at the 2024 Miami Film Festival. and San Antonio Film Festival in August 2024. It is slated for a limited U.S. theatrical release beginning September 12, 2025 (at New York, NY, Quad Cinema; Los Angeles, CA, Leammle Noho; and Chicago, IL, Music Box Theatre), followed by other art-house cinemas nationwide.

Here is the synopsis:

Bunny Yeager, once heralded as the world’s prettiest photographer, had a huge influence on 20th-century pop culture, though few people know her name. Whether by popularizing the bikini, helping discover Bettie Page, shaping the image of Playboy, or inventing the selfie, Bunny was a trailblazer whose work bucked against conservative 1950s America and helped pave the way for the feminist movement and the sexual revolution. Yet the very changes she helped usher in would soon render her a forgotten relic… until now. Featuring testimonies from Dita Von Teese, Bruce Weber, and Larry King, Naked Ambition is a rediscovery of a brilliant yet overlooked artist.

Dennis Scholl and Kareem Tabsch have spoken on the film, with Scholl sharing with Miami New Times, “I went into the film thinking that she was a feminist icon and that she would have thought she was a feminist icon because she deserves to be considered as such,” Scholl explains. “And I came out of it understanding how reluctant she was to think of herself that way.”

Watch the trailer for Naked Ambition.