Director

Douglas Bernardt

Douglas Bernardt's new 15 minute short film/music video Sonho tells the extraordinary story of&nbsp;Brazilian musician Nego Bala, who was incarcerated in a terrifying juvenile jail when he was just 12 - but&nbsp;survived, and managed to pull his life around.Now Bala is a pop star with a message of hope, which Bernardt has brought to the screen with a level of skill and ambition that has become a hallmark of his work.&nbsp;Starting in the jail - where the twelve year old boy starts to hum the melody that will become the song Sonho (or Dream), and is punished for it - the story advances through different chapters, and different forms of narrative,&nbsp;representing the artist's life: from the São Paulo favela, where the performance by his group of friends resembles a dance by an African tribe;&nbsp;to great portraiture of ordinary people;&nbsp;through to a surreal version of a friend's death - and finally Bala talking to his younger self, about his redemption.[vidtoken data:0]The film was a produced by Stink Films in Brazil, in collaboration with&nbsp;AKQA\Coala.LAB - the same partnership responsible for Bernardt's short film&nbsp;Bluesman&nbsp;for&nbsp;Baco Exu do Blues - winner of the first Brazilian Grand Prix at Cannes Lion for Entertainment for Music&nbsp;in 2019. And the script for&nbsp;Sonho&nbsp;was&nbsp;devised using testimonials from Nego Bala, written in collaboration with Douglas alongside the AKQA\Coala.LAB team.We spoke to Douglas Bernardt about the project - that was two pandemic-affected years in the making - and discovered that just like the film itself, the production process assumed epic proportions.[imgtoken data:1]<blockquote>The story of the creation of the song was as strong as the track itself.</blockquote>How did the project begin? Was it always the plan to make something bigger than a normal music video for Sonho?The project began with an invitation from old time partners AKQA and Coala.Lab to create a film that would be part of the release of Nego’s first album,&nbsp;Da Boca Do Lixo.&nbsp;&nbsp;As I got the track and started to write the script, we understood, talking to Nego Bala, that the story of the creation of the song was as strong as the track itself, and we could deliver a bigger message to the audience.&nbsp;I’ve been trying to mix formats on my personal projects, so that was the perfect fit.&nbsp;A musical short film about the creation of a song. This is where we ended up.[imgtoken data:2]How close was your collaboration with Nego on developing the story? What did he want to convey with the film?Me and Nego always wanted to shoot something together.&nbsp;We never knew if it would be fiction, music video or a documentary, but the intention was always there, since the very first time we met four or five years ago.&nbsp;But none of us ever imagined it would happen that way, with support, sponsors, PR, etc. It was a genuine willingness of collaboration and inspiration. Me on his words and him on my visuals.He wanted to convey his story in a way the majority of the population would connect, not only in our industry bubble. A film in which people could see themselves and&nbsp;their potential of reaching their dreams. No matter how far they seem to be from his reality.[imgtoken data:3]Where did you shoot the video – and how long did it take?We shot all over São Paulo state.&nbsp;From nature, to urban downtown, to Favela do Moinho.&nbsp;It was all around the city where chaos and inequality of opportunities are translated by Nego’s body of work.The film is comprised of different sections, or chapters. How would you describe the purpose of each chapter?&nbsp;I thought about acts that together would poetically stitch the timeline of Nego’s trajectory.&nbsp;From an oppressed kid locked up in jail, who discovers in music a tool for freedom, to the projection of a new world of dreams and hope.[imgtoken data:4]<blockquote>The location we chose used to be a prison for political dissidents.</blockquote>These sections are in different styles - from gritty reality to magic realism. How do you reconcile the different styles so they work together?Each section had one intention, and we had to find a way of navigating between them, keeping an unique and homogeneous look. There’s a few key visual and sound transitions in the film that were meticulously thought out, to drive the audience from one sense to another.Like the hole in the jail that takes us to nature, or the candle scene where Nego projects himself saving the life of a friend. I'm not the biggest fan of how transitions are being used nowadays. They have been so overused without a reason. I try hard to keep them always as a tool within a narrative motivation.[imgtoken data:5]The first section in the prison is brutal, but has its own beauty. How did you create that?That was one of the toughest scene to conceive visually. The image the world has of Brazilian poverty and general jail scenarios are always inhumane and overly rough. I didn’t want to put kids into this stereotyped visual.&nbsp;But we also couldn’t be naive and not show the struggle that is being in prison.To find this balance, together with Pierre Kerchove (DP) and Carol Ozzi (PD), we thought about an overall&nbsp;overhead soft light that would not create a dense atmosphere. We also painted all the location in the same blue color as the kid’s uniform. These two things together brought a sense of oppression in a visual that was meaningful and strong yet beautiful.&nbsp;The location we chose used to be a prison for political dissidents, during the Brazilian dictatorship, and later on was also an actual juvenile correction center. A lot of people were physically and mentally tortured in there and the place has a strong oppressive energy itself.&nbsp;It's also impossible to not mention our casting director Giovana Rouvier, who found all the boys that shaved their heads and lived this unique experience on set with us.[imgtoken data:6]When the young Nego looks out of the prison, you cut between a tribal dance and Nego and his crew in the city in a similar formation. What’s the significance?This scene was created with choreographer Gabb Cabo-Verde and involved a lot of research and conversation with specialists. We wanted to show that rhythm and music are practically engraved in our DNA.&nbsp;Brazilian funk, the genre where Nego mostly draws from in this album,&nbsp;is seen with a lot of prejudice by conservative people in Brazil. So the scene has the intention of showing that Brazilian funk actually has cultural heritage that comes from the deep roots of Brazilian ancestry.Hand beats have been used as a musical door for transcendence since a long time ago, and it was brought here during the African diaspora, by enslaved people.&nbsp;The same applies for the circular formation, that is seen in so much cultural manifestations in Brazil that has strong African roots: from samba, to candomblé and capoeira. They all have circular rituals, in which energy flows from one individual to another.&nbsp;[imgtoken data:7]After the realism of the car journey, there is a series of almost classic portraits. Who are the people or characters portrayed in this section?Those scenes were based on the interviews we did in the casting sessions and tapes. The same simple question was made to everyone: “What's your biggest dream?”, and we heard stuff that showed the effects of inequality of opportunity and structural racism."Making a beautiful birthday party to my daughter"&nbsp;,"Walking in the streets with my dog without being chased by cops" -&nbsp;and so on.&nbsp;It leads to the part where Nego interrupts a death. How did you achieve this dreamlike scene? Was there personal significance in this scene for Nego?- “And what if you could dream about changing the past?”&nbsp; - “I would save my friend Bebezão from being murdered.”This question came up in one of the many meetings I had with Nego while conceptualizing and writing the script. This scene was entirely based on his answer.[imgtoken data:8]&nbsp;<blockquote>Nego wanted to convey his story in a way the majority of the population would connect.</blockquote>We wanted to deliver a sense of hope for the future. Of a new world, where people are not killed by the colour of their skin, by the clothes they wear, by the hood they live in. Where newborns will have the freedom of dreaming, of being who they are without prejudice and fear.The technical achievement was pretty complex. It was a mix of in-camera and post-production VFX.&nbsp;We had to&nbsp;compose both shots of Nego holding the candle and the drone in the alley. The rain and the bullet were 3D. And the actor that plays Nego’s friend was sitting on a rig hidden inside his outfit.[imgtoken data:9]You end on a message of Hope. It's directed by Nego to his younger self, but how much is that also directed towards the people of Brazil?The idea was connecting past and present to deliver a message of hope for the future. Nego wrote the monologue, but everything changed when we were shooting the scene. The emotion was so real and Nego just improvised what came out from his heart.I think it’s directed not only to the people of Brazil, but the whole world. The penitentiary system is questionable everywhere. It&nbsp;shatters the perspective of the future for so many people, even more for kids.&nbsp;What were the biggest challenges in making the film?&nbsp;Putting&nbsp;it all together in the middle of the pandemic. We had many setbacks because of the lockdowns. We shot most of the film in mid-2021 when Brazil was really bad in case numbers, and following very strict health protocols. On many occasions I thought the project would never be finished.&nbsp;[imgtoken data:10]<blockquote>It was a challenge to deal with time, ambition and expectations.&nbsp;</blockquote>And what were the biggest highlights of the experience of making the film?Being part of something that I really believe in.&nbsp;Filmmaking is a powerful tool of communication. And it is very fulfilling when you put out work that really tells&nbsp;something to the world.I feel like we are living a “release-driven” generation, where the amount of work/awards are more important than the content of the pieces in itself.&nbsp;This project took more than two years to be made, and it was a challenge for me to deal with time, ambition and expectations.&nbsp;In the end I learnt that what really matters is being honest to the story you are portraying, and translating truth through your visuals and storytelling.• Douglas Bernardt is with <a href="https://stinkfilms.com/" target="_blank">Stink Films</a> for global representation.&nbsp;

Stink Films

Douglas Bernardt on his epic video for Nego Bala's Sonho - "We wanted to deliver a sense of hope for the future."

Nego Bala – "SONHO" com Elza Soares (Filme Oficial)

Doug Bernardt's video for Masego is a lovely&nbsp;performance piece, featuring the&nbsp;Jamaican-American musician with a companion - the Mystery Lady of the song's title - with the song inspiring her and two other women to reveal their remarkable command of Latin dance styles.Characteristically for the Brazilian director's work, it is beautifully photographed by DoP Andres Arochi, characterised by sweeping moving shots as Masego performs in a courtyard, and the women come from interiors to dance in the sunshine.[imgtoken data:1]And the location is a key part of the chemistry of the video, with Bernardt also making this a celebration of the place where it was filmed - Mexico City."I've always been a big fan of Masego and it’s a pleasure to be releasing this first collaboration with him," says the director.&nbsp;"I'm happy we kept a true and representative Latin atmosphere in the video - our choices of locations and casting were always mindful in order to portray Mexico City with its true character."

Ryland Burns

Tess Anastasia

Andres Arochi

Flor Hart

Matt Schaff

Cabin Edit

Oscmar Junior

Robert Bruzadin

Marcela Murer

Nash

Dalia Xiuhcoatll

Tia Swing

CineBuró

Masego 'Mystery Lady (Sego's Remix)' by Douglas Bernardt

Masego-'Mystery-Lady'-by-Douglas-Bernardt

Tom Misch and Yussef Dayes return with Lift Off,&nbsp;a song that infuses jazz and funk through modern sensibilities, complete with a lovely video from&nbsp;Douglas Bernardt documenting their live performance of the track&nbsp;with Rocco Palladino, shot on 16mm film in Kiev.&nbsp;DoP&nbsp;Adolpho Veloso utilises drawn-out Steadicam&nbsp;shots, which float through the warmly-lit studio as an&nbsp;orange&nbsp;sun orbits the artists&nbsp;on a track. In the background, a couple are performing choreography as the guitar and bass lines crescendo to an addicting groove.It's a simple and clear concept, and Bernardt finds the magic within the hypnotic performances.&nbsp;

United Kingdom

Martha McGuirk

Katie Lambert

Vadim Yuzba

Adolpho Veloso

Vlad Dobrik

Leonid Sidorenko

Max Halushka

Lucas Moesch

Final Cut

Timothy Stipan

Company 3

Flavia Gannam

Nash Tv

Hands London

Connie Meade

Duncan Murray

Radioaktive Film

Valentyn Petyshkin

Kate Galytska

Jazz

Funk

Tom Misch & Yussef Dayes (ft Rocco Palladino) 'Lift Off' by Douglas Bernardt

Tom-Misch-&amp;-Yussef-Dayes-'Lift-Off-(feat.-Rocco-Palladino)'-by-Douglas-Bernardt

Paranoia takes hold in&nbsp;Douglas Bernardt's thrilling vision for Tom Misch &amp; Yussef Dayes.&nbsp;Traversing an&nbsp;subway station in Kiev, the lead character - played by&nbsp;Demian Piatakov -&nbsp;snaps his neck back and forth, trying to catch a glimpse of the eyes trained on him. Everyday people morph into threatening figures as they glare and gossip, and all Piatakov can do is keep walking.Moments later, Piatakov is running through&nbsp;a vast forest, representing his confused emotions and the labyrinth that is his mind. Inside this world, he has a chance to pause and consider his surroundings, a juxtaposition to the dark&nbsp;city and its cacophony of noise and violence.&nbsp;DoP&nbsp;Adolpho Veloso contrasts the two locations through considered lighting and composition:&nbsp;the forest shots utilise slow zooms and breathtaking natural lighting, whilst the train has pulsing artificial light and lots of close-ups. A judicious use of VFX add a huge amount of production value to the project, and help create the haunting and ethereal world inside the character's mind.&nbsp;

Tim Stipan

Cinelab Film and Digital

Alternative

Indie

Tom Misch & Yussef Dayes 'What Kinda Music' by Douglas Bernardt

Tom-Misch-&amp;-Yussef-Dayes-'What-Kinda-Music-'-by-Douglas-Bernardt

A young man shifts in scale as he traverses the city in&nbsp;Douglas Bernardt's video for Gregory Porter's Revival.&nbsp;The visual opens with a shot of the man -&nbsp;played by Jemoni Powe -&nbsp;watching footage of the LA riots from 1994. He shrinks to the size of a mouse,&nbsp;and slides from the sofa, feeling deflated and isolated from society. There is an overarching theme of the battle between oppression and living your truth as an individual, and this sets the scene for what's to come.&nbsp;A contemporary spin on the "eat me" and "drink me"&nbsp;treats in Alice in Wonderland, Powe's journey involves him growing and shrinking dependent on his situation and emotions. One thing&nbsp;that lights his fire&nbsp;is dance, so when he bursts into a club where Porter is playing live on stage, he immediately becomes his usual form, performing knee-breaking choreography on the dancefloor. Ending with a shot of him both as a giant&nbsp;towering over his house, and as a small man at his door, there are clear metaphors about chasing your dreams and finding something that fills you with joy.The VFX from&nbsp;Nash are impeccable, handling the shifting scale and various elements with ease and quality, really helping to sell the concept and ground the story in reality.&nbsp;

United States

Christopher Ripley

Angus Bernsen 

Danilo Abraham

Osmar Junior

Universal

Jeff Kopchia

Gregory Porter 'Revival' by Douglas Bernardt

Gregory-Porter-'Revival'-by-Douglas-Bernardt

Douglas Bernardt&nbsp;finds&nbsp;beauty amid devastation in this poignant and emotive video for the Sao Paulo-based Loïc Koutana.This piece, for Koutana's&nbsp;L'Homme Statue focusses on the aftermath of a tragedy:&nbsp;in February this year, Koutana and his partner&nbsp;Raphael Lobato's apartment caught fire, and they lost everything they had in a matter of seconds. In the video they return to the apartment - this was shot in the&nbsp;six&nbsp;hours they had to find what was left inside the apartment, before it was taken over by authorities.&nbsp;Instead of focusing exclusively on the damage and wreckage, Bernardt - who's groundbreaking video Bluesman was nominated at the UKMVAs this year, and won at Cannes Lions - focusses upon the small things. When we see Koutana and Lobato embrace in their bedroom, surrounded by black, charred surfaces, the sense of loss of a beloved home is overwhelming. But it's also a celebration of the resilience of the human spirit, and the love around them - friends and family have helped to get them on their feet again.[imgtoken data:1]Hailing from the Côte d’Ivoire, but based in Brazil for the last five years, Loïc Koutana&nbsp;has already become a significant figure in the fight&nbsp;for free expression in the LGBTQ+ community. Douglas Bernardt does a great service to the artist by focussing upon the brave response to his and his partner's personal disaster&nbsp;in such a poetic fashion -&nbsp;and cements his own reputation as a formidable image-maker.&nbsp;

Brazil

Ingrid Raszl

Tico Cruz

Douglas Bernardt, Vitor Duarte, Pedro Tejada

Loïc Koutana 'L'Homme Statue' by Douglas Bernardt

Loïc-Koutana-'L&#039;homme-Statue'-by-Douglas-Bernardt

Brazil-based director Douglas Bernhardt has directed a beautiful, discursive portrait of Rio life through the eyes of a gregarious&nbsp;young man, for the Brazilian artist Baco.With breathtaking cinematography, the narrative cuts back and forth from past to present - his happy-go-lucky, joy-filled&nbsp;progress&nbsp; through his day counterpointed with his dramatic sprint through the streets, as if being chased. On all sorts of levels, this is a&nbsp;thrilling experience,&nbsp;and an illuminating insight into Rio culture, as well as a riveting promo for Baco&#39;s track Bluesman.BACO:&quot;What is being a &ldquo;Bluesman&rdquo;? It&rsquo;s been the opposite of what &#39;others&#39;&nbsp;think. It&rsquo;s going against the current, being your own strength, your own roots. It&rsquo;s knowing we were never an automatic reproduction of a submissive image created by them.&quot;I am the first rhythm to make black people rich I am the first rhythm to set black people free Ring on the finger, on each of the five Wind on my face, I feel alive From now on I consider everything blues Samba is blues, Rock is blues, Jazz is blues Funk is blues, Soul is blues I am &ldquo;Exu do Blues&rdquo; Everything that when black was considered devilish And then became white and was accepted, I will call it blues Jesus is blues&quot;

Leonardo Duque

Tiago Cavalcanti

Lucas Oliveira

Peterson Lomovtov, Vinicius Rodrigues Da Silva

Arnaldo Shoyama

Lauren Ferreira

Ana Wainer

Squarehead

Bleach

Kelson Succi, Hilton Cobra

Baco Exu Do Blues 'Bluesman' by Douglas Bernardt

Baco-Exu-Do-Blues-'Bluesman'-by-Douglas-Bernardt

Brazilian director Douglas Bernardt travelled to Cruz das Almas, Bahia to make this compelling, beautifully shot video for&nbsp;Tagua Tagua - the solo project by Felipe Puperi from Wannabe Jalva - chronicling the remarkable Fire Sword War, that takes place in the region every June.As this tradition, to celebrate the St John feast days, involves groups of young men firing off powerful fireworks directly&nbsp; towards each other, it&#39;s incredibly dangerous and expressly forbidden by law. But it&#39;s been&nbsp;happening regardless for decades, involves many local people - and leads to numerous serious injuries every year.[imgtoken data:1]Reflecting the lyrics of the song&nbsp;Rastro de Pó,&nbsp;which talks about memory, light, shadow and legacy, Bernhardt&#39;s film&nbsp;tells the story of how mothers and children can get caught up in this dangerous tradition. Bernhardt&#39;s video presents a slighty dramatised version of events, but there is no question about the veracity of this &#39;Fire Sword War&nbsp;as its shown in the video.&nbsp;Those are definitely real fireworks fired at real people.[imgtoken data:2]&nbsp;&ldquo;We were amazed by the strength of the tradition, the legacy, what is passed from generation to another &ndash; it&rsquo;s very powerful in this town,&quot; says Bernhardt.&nbsp;&ldquo;I was always fascinated by cultural manifestations that are typically Brazilian and the challenge of how to portray them through a cinematic perspective. When we came across the Fire Sword War in Cruz das Almas, we felt that the song had such a strong connection to the essence of the tradition. It was a perfect match.&quot;[imgtoken data:3]&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Douglas Bernardt

Director

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