Filmmakers Nicolas Davenel and Vanessa Dumont, collectively known as the creative team NDVD, have signed with the global production company Cadence Films for their first representation as directors in the U.S. Davenel and Dumont’s directing draws from multiple disciplines and film mediums, including photography, art direction and video installations.
NDVD has turned out commercial campaigns for high-profile beauty brands featuring celebrities, music videos for rising artists, and the short film Le Grand Saut, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2019. Davenel and Dumont are currently working on a documentary, L’Amour Mécanique, about non-standard speed engines.
They have helmed attention-grabbing ads for Nike, Adidas, Comme des Garçons, a spot for L’Oreal featuring Elle Fanning, and a film for Yves Saint Laurent starring Zoe Kravitz, to name a few. They recently directed a campaign from Beiersdorf, evoking the future of beauty as fueled by research, showcased with luminous tableaus and larger-than-life visual screens. NDVD’s work directing music videos includes collaborations with artists Brodinski, Bloody Jay, KCPK, and Birdy Nam Nam. In addition to being handled by Cadence in the U.S., the directorial duo is repped in France by Phantasm.
In addition to their work as directors, the creative duo also compose original music for their film projects. Lorenzo Ragionieri, co-founder and executive producer of Cadence Films, said of NDVD, “Between the two of them, they know how to do everything. Their versatility is rare and skillful. They’re equally comfortable and accomplished in the languages of classic ‘French touch’ filmmaking, gritty sports doc, and sleek, modern luxury.”
In a joint statement, Davenel and Dumont shared, “Doing films is our first passion, but what really motivates us is the experience of sharing the same feeling at the same moment with an audience, whether it’s during a shooting, a projection, or a live event that links us together. We love the craft and precision of building commercials, the spontaneity and wild adventures you live when creating a music video or diving into people’s intimacy in documentaries. We love the thrilling last few seconds before a live performance starts–anything that generates emotions is worth diving into and putting our full energy into. We felt a strong connection and the same spontaneous energy with Cadence Films and can’t wait to dive with them into exciting projects and build a fruitful working relationship.”
