Floria Sigismondi returns to music videos with a theatrical blockbuster for Sam Smith's chart-topping Unholy, featuring Kim Petras.Shot in London, this eye-popping extravaganza is a musical set-piece packed with flair, pizzazz and sexual energy - with Sam as the charismatic MC of a small army of show-people at The Body Shop, the LGBTQ+ cabaret where lustful dreams come true. With cameos by Gottmik and Violet Chachki from RuPaul's Drag Race, and porn star Paddy O'Brian, the film follows a husband who ducks out on his wife and sneaks off to his favorite sex club cabaret, where he soon finds his guilty pleasures revealed in a very public manner. After discovering her husband’s unfaithful ways, the film concludes with the wife character becoming liberated by her own sexuality, rather than a victim to the scandal.A modern retelling of the spectacle of cabaret, Sigismondi has drawn upon her upbringing for this - she was born to Italian opera singer parents, and grew up amid the theatrical and the avant-garde - and applied her trademark cinematic style previously seen in her award-winning work for the likes of Gucci, Rihanna, David Bowie, and Justin Timberlake.Choreographed by French dance collective (LA)HORDE, who are famed for their ability to develop scenarios and actions that take up radically contemporary themes and questions, the seductive music video is a visual feast led by a diverse and queer cast.With references to French surrealist photographer Claude Cahun and noted corset maker of the late 20th Century, Mr. Pearl, the video’s costume designer Lisa Jarvis created an impressive range of otherworldly looks for the enormous ensemble, who were cast by Hannah Ashby Ward at Lane Casting (an LGBTQ+ owned company) to showcase real, diverse and unapologetic bodies. Floria Sigismondi, Director, comments: “I grew up in the world of theatre and opera. This film presented the platform for me to reach deep into that history. It was important to me to bring the theatrics and drama to the film while also giving it a modern feel. We were not interested in creating a period piece. We wanted to create our own world. The theatre and setting gave us the history of cabaret but the costumes broadened that and injected a modern element. For me it's a celebration of the LGBTQ+ community and creating that celebration was the most important and joyous experience."Jannie McInnes, Executive Producer at Scheme Engine, adds: “The creative excellence and expression across departments on this project completely blew my mind. Floria sets a high bar, inspires people to bring their most creative selves and she wants everyone to have fun doing it. We are really grateful to Sam and the label for affording us the luxury of real prep time and we used every second of it!”Lisa Jarvis, Wardrobe Stylist, continues: “I've been a fan of Floria's work for quite a while, and as soon as I saw the mood board and heard A Clockwork Orange, Claude Cahun, Mr. Pearl, Crazy Horse, I knew it was right up my alley and would be hella fun to dive into. Taking the references in mind, I wanted to create a world where there was a huge range of visual looks and everyone embraced them. It needed to be otherworldly, opulent, sensual, and a little bit intoxicating to watch with more than a strong twist of naughty.”

Shygirl heralds the release of her debut album Nymph with a delicious slice of steamy suggestiveness, directed by Diane Kunst.Blane Muise aka Shygirl finds herself playing out various erotic fantasies with her ideal man in a lakeside cabin for Shlut, with Kunst establishing the atmosphere through the setting, art direction and Maximilian Pittner's marvellous cinematography - and most of all the inimitable presence of Shy herself.And this is the censored version...

Emilie Badenhorst draws us into the wild affair of a couple of fun-loving teenage punks, in her barnstorming video for Dom Dolla.The video for Strangers sees this pair of disaffected teens discover themselves while struggling in menial jobs clearing trash, and heading on a whirlwind, lust-filled adventure. Turbo-charged with a steamy brew of sex, sensuality and outrageousness, Badenhorst cast a real couple as the protagonists in her modern romance - and it shows. Be warned, this contains sexy scenes. But it manages the balancing act of being the driving force that fires the action without being gratuitous. "The stories I want to tell are about people living boldly and chasing a sense of defiance," says Badenhorst. "The ‘those' and the ‘us’ that are often misunderstood or shamed by a system for how viscerally we experience life. I want to continue to champion this generation. I wanted to represent these individuals as truthfully as possible by focussing on the honesty in the characters' reactions as their love unfolded."Firstly, the two leads [Caitlyn Summer Gilmore and Jay Gordon-Turner] are not professional actors, but have an intrinsic understanding of character nuances. They are a couple in real life and although I saw a lot of really great actors in the casting process, the chemistry these two had was already on fire, which was so important especially for this story."It was such an organic and exhilarating process, partly because of the passion of all the creatives involved but also because of the collaborative effort. Collaboration is something very important to me. I know exactly what I want as a director, I am very clear and know what my end goal is on every project. But, how I get there is up to us as a team and that is why I choose to have certain creatives around me."

Riccardo Salvi directs a bold, suggestive promo with a heart of gold for Italian duo Ditonellapiaga & Donatella Rettore."The song is about sex, and the artist requests were very clear - fun, provocative and with 70's styling," says Salvi about the video for Chimica. And he has more than hit the brief on this one. Celebrating body positivity and breaking the stereotypes of how sex is usually portrayed on-screen, we see a cast of varying ages and shapes get into some wild positions, show of their assets and jiggle and bounce the day away. Some clever art direction elevates the racy vibes of the visual, and the vintage styling and decor adds a certain eccentricity to the whole concept.

Oskar Gullstrand and Tove Berglund direct a glossy promo for Show Me Love. Paying homage to fashion, culture and sex, Tove Styrke says: ”The video consists of three parts. The performance, where I wanted to channel classic starlets from the silver screen and pay homage to voguing. The fantasies, where the mass scenes and the birth of Venus to me are representations of sex and feminine energy. And lastly, we have the Rapunzel guitar solo as a metaphor for masturbation."Indeed. The soft pastel colour scheme and vintage art direction create an absorbing, nostalgic world which blends fantasy and reality, and it's clear that Styrke is having the time of her life bringing these visions to fruition. "This is one of my absolute favourite videos I’ve made." continues Styrke. "It’s fun and weird and serious at the same time, and I think it really shows how I feel about this song.”

Things gets steamy in Luke Losey's video for Imelda May...Three sets of couples find each other increasingly irresistible - each with their own interesting takes on the build-up to unbridled passion, with Imelda herself one of the couples with real-life beau Niall. And then comes the merest hint of partner-swapping. It's a tastefully raunchy celebration of lovemaking for Just One Kiss, Imelda's collaboration with Noel Gallagher.