Emmanuel Adjei is a Dutch Ghanaian film director and visual artist. With a background in Fine Arts and a primary interest in storytelling, Emmanuel’s work deals with human narratives, captured by his unique multi-layered visual language. Creating atmospheric worlds in both a painterly and cinematic style, Emmanuel always seeks to challenge the boundaries between fiction and reality.
Narcissus fell in love with his own reflection in a pool, not realizing it was merely an image, and he wasted away to death, not being able to leave the beauty of his own reflection. In that sense, Narcissus symbolizes the one who believes that his mirrored image is an essential part of his identity. The reflections of a piece of glass, as well as the traditionally conveyed beliefs that society has attributed to our “external form”, are the masques we try to reject or confirm on a daily basis.
The relationship with one's identity involves, on one hand, the desire to shape it personally, i.e. by voluntarily putting on our daily masques. And on the other hand it involves the external gaze; the frame that the viewer surrounds us with. With my work, I attempt to emphasize these masques and frames, hopefully making the viewer aware of the shaping process of our identity.
REPRESENTATION
THE DIRECTORS BUREAU (US)
lisa@tdbmail.comCOMPULSORY. (UK)
chris@compulsoryviewing.co.ukHALAL (NL / DE)
gijsd@halal.amsterdamDREAMERS (FR]
melodie.saba@thedreamers.frSEVDALIZA - SHAHMARAN
UKMVA'18 BEST ALT.VIDEO INT. (WINNER)
UKMVA'18 BEST VISUAL EFFECTS (WINNER)
UKMVA’18 VIDEO OF THE YEAR (NOMINATION)
UKMVA'18 BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY (NOMINATION)
UKMVA'18 BEST PROD. DESIGN (NOMINATION)
SHOTS AWARDS‘18 MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR (SILVER)
KINSALE SHARK AWARDS‘18 BEST WRITING (GOLD)
KINSALE SHARK AWARDS‘18 BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY (GOLD)
MTV M-V-F AWARDS'18 JURY INNOVATION AWARD (WINNER)
CICLOPE AWARDS‘18 BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY (NOMINATION)
“DESIGNED TO BE IN A MUSEUM”
HAMMER MUSEUM / FLUX
“THE CINEMATOGRAPHY IS SUBLIME AND WILL TAKE YOUR BREATH AWAY”
SHOTS
“A HIGHLY SOPHISTICATED, COMPLEX AND BEAUTIFUL EXECUTED PIECE”
PROMONEWS
“THE TERROR OF OPPRESSION IS REALIZED IN THIS SPIELBERG-LEVEL SCI-FI SHORT FILM”
AFROPUNK
“A SILENT LIBERATION FOR VOICES OF THE OPPRESSED”
BET
UKMVA'18 BEST VISUAL EFFECTS (WINNER)
UKMVA’18 VIDEO OF THE YEAR (NOMINATION)
UKMVA'18 BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY (NOMINATION)
UKMVA'18 BEST PROD. DESIGN (NOMINATION)
SHOTS AWARDS‘18 MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR (SILVER)
KINSALE SHARK AWARDS‘18 BEST WRITING (GOLD)
KINSALE SHARK AWARDS‘18 BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY (GOLD)
MTV M-V-F AWARDS'18 JURY INNOVATION AWARD (WINNER)
CICLOPE AWARDS‘18 BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY (NOMINATION)
CAMERIMAGE‘18 BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY (NOMINATION)
ONE POINT FOUR AWARDS’18 (NOMINATION)
EPICA AWARDS‘18 BRANDED CONTENT - MUSIC VIDEO (SHORTLIST)
VIMEO STAFF PICK
PROMONEWS OUR FAVOURITE VIDEOS OF THE YEAR
VIDEOSTATIC BEST VIDEOS OF THE YEAR 2018
ONE POINT FOUR BEST CREATIVE VIDEOS
STEREOGUM #1 BEST VIDEO OF THE WEEK
PAPER MAGAZINE TOP 20 MUSIC VIDEOS OF 2018
PROMONEWS BEST MUSIC VIDEOS OF 2018: NARRATIVE
VIDEOSTATIC BEST VIDEOS OF THE MONTH AUG
VOTD (WINNER)
CAMERIMAGE‘18 BEST DIRECTOR (NOMINATION)
ONE POINT FOUR AWARDS’18 (NOMINATION)
EPICA AWARDS‘18 BRANDED CONTENT - MUSIC VIDEO (SHORTLIST)
VIMEO STAFF PICK
PROMONEWS OUR FAVOURITE VIDEOS OF THE YEAR
VIDEOSTATIC BEST VIDEOS OF THE YEAR 2018
ONE POINT FOUR BEST CREATIVE VIDEOS
STEREOGUM #1 BEST VIDEO OF THE WEEK
PAPER MAGAZINE TOP 20 MUSIC VIDEOS OF 2018
PROMONEWS BEST MUSIC VIDEOS OF 2018: NARRATIVE
VIDEOSTATIC BEST VIDEOS OF THE MONTH AUG
VOTD (WINNER)
“BREATHTAKINGLY GEORGEOUS“
PAPER MAGAZINE
HAMMER MUSEUM / FLUX
“THE CINEMATOGRAPHY IS SUBLIME AND WILL TAKE YOUR BREATH AWAY”
SHOTS
“A HIGHLY SOPHISTICATED, COMPLEX AND BEAUTIFUL EXECUTED PIECE”
PROMONEWS
“THE TERROR OF OPPRESSION IS REALIZED IN THIS SPIELBERG-LEVEL SCI-FI SHORT FILM”
AFROPUNK
“A SILENT LIBERATION FOR VOICES OF THE OPPRESSED”
BET
STATEMENT
Narcissus fell in love with his own reflection in a pool, not realizing it was merely an image, and he wasted away to death, not being able to leave the beauty of his own reflection. In that sense, Narcissus symbolizes the one who believes that his mirrored image is an essential part of his identity. The reflections of a piece of glass, as well as the traditionally conveyed beliefs that society has attributed to our “external form”, are the masques we try to reject or confirm on a daily basis.
The relationship with one's identity involves, on one hand, the desire to shape it personally, i.e. by voluntarily putting on our daily masques. And on the other hand it involves the external gaze; the frame that the viewer surrounds us with. With my work, I attempt to emphasize these masques and frames, hopefully making the viewer aware of the shaping process of our identity.