Director

Gustaf Holtenäs

A year after the video for Slow, his extraordinary first visual for Black Midi, Swedish animator Gustaf Holtenäs has collaborated once again with the precocious math-rock outfit, and the result is another jaw-dropping&nbsp; tour de force.For Welcome To Hell,&nbsp;Holtenäs has returned to the Slow universe, with the same visual style, merging both 2D and 3D animation. Ultimately we realise we are witnessing the origin story of the angry blue boy creature from the&nbsp;first video. But there is also a new narrative element here, and a discernable critique of the warped nature of online relationships.&nbsp;[imgtoken data:1]Ultimately its an even more developed version of an imagined world that's entirely (or pretty much entirely) derived from&nbsp;the director's imagination.<blockquote>I wanted to portray the main character as this entitled martyr of an Incel.</blockquote>"Yes it is a extension of the Slow universe,"&nbsp;Holtenäs tells Promonews.&nbsp;"A prequel and also a sequel.&nbsp;I don’t want to get into the details of the narrative too much. Both for its ridiculous complexity, but also because I want the keep the interpretation open. If Slow was an existential/philosophical apocalyptic video this one is more of a social/political apocalyptic video.[imgtoken data:2]"I got the idea for the thematics after a lot of my female friends have men stalking them on the internet. So I wanted to portray the main character as this entitled martyr of an Incel. But enough of spoiling."Holtenäs has recently moved from Stockholm to Barcelona, and the video, that he has been developing since December last year before moving into production from February, was made in collaboration with&nbsp;the Barcelona animation collective Mitrilo.[imgtoken data:3]"I was in charge of all the 2D while Sevi Domochevsky directed the 3D-animation," he says, adding that he had free rein once again on making the video. "Although I briefed the band on the narrative with storyboards before starting the work."&nbsp;Mesmerizing, gut-punching, deeply enigmatic -&nbsp;and truly original.&nbsp;&nbsp;

United Kingdom

Sevi Iko Dømochevsky

Noha Manfredi

Joel Arizona Widerberg

Hannes Ferm

Alternative

Rock

Black Midi 'Welcome To Hell' by Gustaf Holtenäs

black midi - Welcome To Hell

Gustaf Holtenäs directs a mesmerizing and bizarre epic for rock legends&nbsp;Iron Maiden for Stratego, from their acclaimed new album.&nbsp;The film takes place in a Japanese-inspired landscape, with two rival armies heading to battle in an action-filled match of the ancient Japanese strategy game&nbsp;Shiogi. As with his recent video for Black Midi, Holtenäs combines 2D and 3D elements to create a mind-boggling visual to match the monumental tone of the song.[imgtoken data:1]This is the second&nbsp;collaboration&nbsp;between Blinkink and Iron Maiden, following&nbsp;<a href="https://www.promonews.tv/videos/2021/07/19/iron-maiden-writing-wall-nicos-livesey/71952">The Writing on the Wall</a>, directed by Nicos Livesey, released last month.Stunningly executed, the rich textures, vibrant colours and seamless animation form a dreamy, transcendent aesthetic, contrasted by the riotous, high energy pacing and bloody narrative. Truly epic in scale and well worth a watch.[imgtoken data:2][imgtoken data:3]&nbsp;

Blinkink

Josef Byrne

Sami Goddard

Minna Floss

Will Barnett

Caroline Morin

Wash

Sam Seager

Danielle Barnes

Heavy Metal

Iron Maiden 'Stratego' by Gustaf Holtenäs 

Gustaf Holtenäs - Iron Maiden "Stratego"

Worlds exist within worlds, which are successively ripped asunder, in Swedish filmmaker&nbsp;Gustaf Holtenäs awe-inspiring&nbsp;epic of the imagination&nbsp;for Black Midi.Holtenäs has created a brilliant&nbsp;tour de force in different animation styles and live action for the London-based experimental rock band's six-minute track Slow, taken from their new album Cavalcade (released 28th May).It begins with a story in line-drawn 2D animated robot boy determinedly travelling across an extraordinarily detailed futuristic city to face an implacable foe in an extraordinary high-rise&nbsp;- and suffering a horrible fate. Then it switches to a 3D world to a lance-wielding knight, calming walking to a forbidding tower, before he perishes as that 3D universe begins to unravel and corrupt.[imgtoken data:1]The revealed inner workings of the glitching 3D&nbsp;breaks ito what seems like realistic live action, and the staid life of a woman who appears to be the creator of these previous characters and their adventures. But when she opts to confront an alien invasion force that is approaching Earth,&nbsp;she also&nbsp;suffers a grisly fate.This repetitive, 'Russian doll' structure of the video is only part of the pleasure of a work&nbsp;that Gustaf Holtenäs has drawn from a&nbsp;wide range of influences, from fantasy illustration and literature. The eclectic nature of these influences - often referencing artwork&nbsp;from past centuries -&nbsp;informs a visual aesthetic which reflects the bold, experimental nature of the music. It also sets the scene for the climax of the piece - a&nbsp;blockbuster of cosmic destruction - and rebirth...[imgtoken data:2]Stockholm-based&nbsp;Holtenäs has been working in 2D animation for some years, but recently directed the experimental short film <a href="https://vimeo.com/469276380" target="_blank">Aries</a> for Swedish band Holy - and co-directed two&nbsp;imposing&nbsp;3D animated&nbsp;for Swedish organist and composer Anna von Hausswolff&nbsp;with his brother Ludwig&nbsp;Holtenäs.&nbsp;He was&nbsp;approached by Black Midi in February, and asked if he could deliver the video for the six-minute track Slow by the beginning of April."I wanted to create something crazy with like every technique I’ve learned over the years,"&nbsp;Holtenäs tells&nbsp;Promonews. "Also because Black Midi wanted the video in such a short time, it seemed impossible to make a six minute hand-animated video in a decent quality. Because that art form is the most time consuming.[imgtoken data:3]"So the idea of creating a lot of different visuals was something that was accomplishable, but also made it more interesting. I felt that the nerdy reddit/4chan fans of Black Midi could appreciate a really complex and paradoxical narrative. Cause I sure do. The story is like a mix of Lars von Trier's&nbsp;Melancholia&nbsp;and Nolan's&nbsp;Inception."A stunning achievement.[imgtoken data:4]

Joel Widerberg

Ludvig Holtenäs

Martin Onassis

Black Midi 'Slow' by Gustaf Holtenäs

black midi - Slow

This is the first single from Swedish avant-garde pop star Jenny Wilson&#39;s new album Exorcism, and the animated video&nbsp;by the Swedish animator Gustaf Holtenäs is a delicately illustrated and, on the face of it, aesthetically pleasing piece. But it also contains true horror.The album&nbsp;details&nbsp;Wilson&rsquo;s life following her experiencing a horrific sexual assault not long after recovering from treatment for breast cancer.&nbsp;Holtenäs&#39;s video draws the viewer in with alluring visuals, but ultimately does not flinch from the subject.&nbsp;

Sweden

Jenny Wilson 'RAPIN*' by Gustaf Holtenäs

RAPIN*

Gustaf Holtenäs based his&nbsp;animated video&nbsp;for Russian musician Mitya&#39;s track Fabula Spatium on surreal sci-fi art from the 1970s.

Russian Federation

Mitya 'Fabula Spatium' by Gustaf Holtanäs

Mitya - Fabula Spatium

Promonews Podcast

Gustaf Holtenäs

Director

Videos featuring Gustaf Holtenäs

2022 (1)

2021 (2)

2018 (1)

2016 (1)

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