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    Top Spot of the Week: Jess Kohl Directs Royal Ballet’s Francesca Hayward in “Siren”

    By SHOOTUpdated:No Comments2500 Views

    PRETTYBIRD director Jess Kohl brings out Royal Ballet principal Francesca Hayward’s darker side in this stunning black-and-white dance film, Siren, with a haunting narrative edge.

    A visual journey into Hayward’s relationship with ballet, Siren draws on her early experiences of the art form to create a contrastingly intimate yet voyeuristic experience for the viewer. In collaboration with choreographer Michael Montgomery and designer Simone Rocha, director Kohl expertly crafts a hauntingly beautiful narrative that expresses the macabre origins of the ballets that captivated Hayward as a young child.

    The film is available on NOWNESS and was also made possible by collaboration with executive producers, Jackson Forsythe (UNSIGNED) and Juliette Larthe (PRETTYBIRD). Siren is produced and presented by Films.Dance, a global platform and creative studio for
    dance creatively directed by Jacob Jonas The Company.

    Kohl commented, “It was a privilege to work with Francesca Hayward on my first dance film. We chose to shoot on 16mm black and white as we wanted to pay homage to the ballets that inspired Francesca in her childhood–she was drawn to macabre stories, and in Siren we want to represent the lesser known, darker side of the art form.”

    Kohl is a London born filmmaker whose work marries raw intimacy with a focus on global youth culture and marginalized communities. Her interest in society’s fringes has seen her intimately document marginalized groups around the world, from punks in the Philippines to transgender communities in central India.

    Credits

    Production PRETTYBIRD and UNSIGNED Joss Kohl, director; Juliette Larthe, exec producer; Jackson Forsythe, exec producer/producer; Eoin McLoughlin, DP; Andreja Viskovic, production manager; Simone Rocha, costume designer; Robbie Spencer, stylist; Celia Burton, hair & makeup; Jed Darlington-Roberts, additional photography; Ibrahim Serra Mohammed, drone pilot. Filmed at the Royal Opera House, London. Postproduction Stitch Charlie Von Rotberg, editor; Alex Gregory, colorist; Diego Basualdo, Kirsty Oldfield, post producer. Postproduction Serena   Adrian Aragones, Flame colorist; Luis Huete, Esther Ceballos, Beatriz Descalzo, postproduction. Credit Design Jump Jirakaweekul. Creative Jacob Jonas Company Jacob Jonas, creative director. Music Isobel Waller Bridge, composer.

    Media Type:Film: Short
    ScreenWork Categories:Short film
    Screenwork Type:Top Spot
    Video Tags:Jess KohlPRETTYBIRD



    The Best Work You May Never See: Rodrigo Garcia Saiz Directs “The HInVisible Celebrity” To Address Spain’s Stigma Over HIV

    Wednesday, December 25, 2024

    Following World AIDS Day, which was celebrated on December 1, co-production companies Central Films and Freelance For track one man’s existential, and potentially career-altering, decision to “come out” as living with HIV in Spain in this public service spot titled “The HInVisible Celebrity.”

    Out of agency Señora Rushmore for ViiV Healthcare Spain, in collaboration with GESIDA, SEISIDA, and Apoyo Positivo, the PSA--directed by Rodrigo García Sáiz via Central Films Spain--addresses the stigma against publicly living with HIV in Spanish society. In the more than 40 years since the first case of HIV appeared in Spain, no public figure in Spain has claimed to have HIV. Viiv Healthcare Spain asks, if there are 150,000 people with HIV in Spain (or approximately 1 in 300), why don’t we know anyone with HIV?

    The central character, who dons a mask of television-pixelated anonymity, gives himself an introspective pep-talk ahead of announcing his status to the Spanish public. Along the way, he wonders what will become of his career, and reputation in general, even as he recognizes that his declaration could change Spain’s cultural landscape for the better and for all of those in Spain who live with HIV every day. As no public figure in Spain has ever announced living with HIV--due to fear of public rejection--this character realizes that such a role model could change that.

    The character has already begun building social media awareness with his Instagram profile, @famosoinvihsible, which began cataloging his life as a public figure earlier this fall. Still, though, the figure either leaves himself out of the picture, faces away from the camera, or dons the pixelated mask associated with anonymous admission. “The HInVisible... Read More

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