Nina Gantz directs a surreal seasonal visual for the band Saltend Recovery which was a real family affair - and an impressive marvel of doggie direction.In the video for Christmas Ambulance, a young man (played by Nina's brother Django) who suffers an illness at Christmas, attempts to escape from its clutches - and ends up becoming a Christmas gift himself, delivered by express canine courier.Saltend Recovery is a collaboration between Nina Gantz, her husband Terence Dunn, and vocalist Sarah Newington - their debut album is set to arrive early next year - and the video was inspired by the song’s theme of finding moments of light while coping with illness during the holidays.Gantz wanted to craft a dreamlike world that captures the strange, tender search for Christmas spirit when it feels out of reach. And the production itself became a full-scale family collaboration.Filmed in and around Gantz’s father’s home in rural France, the shoot also involved her three brothers: Dook, who supplied his extensive miniature Christmas village; Django, freshly graduated from the Amsterdam Theatre School and who stars in the video; and Mickey, who worked as gaffer and spark alongside cinematographer Ali Little. Gantz’s mother provided catering and appears on screen, joined by her step-mother and partner, who also helped with set decoration.Last but certainly not least, the family dog Djaya delivers a memorable performance in the video: looking stern and displeased at his master's lack of Christmas spirit and eventually delivering him in a box on his back. All this was achieved with inventive, handmade techniques - from strapping GoPros to Djaya and building a fake dog rig, to borrowing a tractor to lift Nina’s brother mid-air and welding custom attachments to the bucket for their cinematographer Ali Little to hang onto.The result is a visual that’s playful, poignant and deeply personal, mirroring the spirit of Saltend Recovery’s music.

Thomas James returns to music videos for a very special project for the Ukranian modern folk quartet DakhaBrakha - filmed under wartime conditions in Ukrainian capital Kyiv.The video for Kozak is a metaphorical interpretation of Ukraine's battle for survival, with a mythical setting that starts with the brave young hero being tutored by a wise elder before facing his adversary - the personification of the enemy that calls itself 'Mother'. The video was shot on a recent visit to Kyiv and James creates a richly cinematic and atmospheric vision - as darkly imaginative as many of his previous videos, for the likes of Bring Me The Horizon, Nothing But Thieves and Ghostpoet. And with the War going on, this was achieved in extraordinarily testing conditions, made possible by the commitment of members of Kyiv's hugely experienced filmmaking community, as he explains. This was about celebrating Ukraine... to embody the pride and resilience that is clearly so abundant there."DakhaBrahka come from a stylised folkloric tradition - celebrating their home nation across the globe with their incredible music - and we wanted the promo to do the same," says James."With a trip planned to Kyiv to see family, the project was born from a want to draw attention to the incredible talent still working in Ukraine, from production through to crew. To show that insanely talented people were still making phenomenal work, despite everything."The film came from an idea of Ukrainian cultural pride. So it made sense to us all, to take the mythologies of traditional Ukrainian folklore, and treat it with a cinematic spin. We built upon myths from old Kozak tales, that perhaps feel metaphorically relevant, and used that as a vehicle to investigate the beautiful narrative and tone of the track... And to perhaps go a little way in trying to celebrate the awe-inspiring energy that is so present in Ukraine - with folklore from the country that inspired it."This was about celebrating Ukraine, attempting in what little way we could, to embody the pride and resilience that is clearly so abundant there. It was a honour to be back in Kyiv, and to work with everyone. It was an experience I'll hold very dear for a long time. It certainly put things into a very clear perspective."

A new short film by British Nigerian director Renee Maria Osubu, In-Between – made in partnership by Coldplay and Choose Love – explores how relationships are affected by migration.Shot in Malta and Kenya and set to music from Coldplay’s 2024 album Moon Music, the film focusses on the story of Omar, a young refugee from Ethiopia, who is navigating life in Malta. Anchored by his East African community in Malta and phone calls across continents, Omar is suspended between two worlds: the home he misses and the one he is trying to make.The 12-minute hybrid short was predominantly cast with immigrants and refugees - all of whom were paid for their roles.The Somesuch production was supported by two refugee-focused organisations, SPARK 15 and RAAH.