Maxi McLachlan directs a heartstopper of a video for Victoria Canal, set at a summer London houseparty bursting at the seams with queer joy.

The video for California Sober is a vibrant promo, where seemingly commonplace actions become the trigger for something rather more intimate. It's sexy and tender in equal measure. And familiar. This is no glamourous Hollywood party, it feels like one you have actually all been to and then talked about for weeks after.

“From the very start I knew this project had to be shot on film," says Maxi McLachlan. "Not just for the beauty of it, but because we needed these moments between our lovers to feel tactile yet dreamy. That mixture of softness and grit is unique to 16mm; I wanted the viewer to feel like they could reach out and touch each frame."

The director adds that the Victoria Canal championed the video as a queer project from the beginning. "So many members of our team connected with that passion," says McLachlan. "In prep, on set and in post we had a majority queer cast and crew that made this the most fun set to be on!

"People like Beth Roberts (editor at TenThree) and Alex O’Brien (colourist at Okay Studio) squeezed us into their incredibly busy schedules just because they leapt at the chance to be part of something that unabashedly portrayed queer joy. I keep using the word joy, but that’s because this project was full of it, and that’s thanks to every single person involved!”