Exploring Boundaries: The Dynamic Collaboration between Fezihaus and Director Christian Boakye - Agyeman

Unveiling the Artistry of SPRLUA

Amidst the vibrant creative landscape of Montréal, where innovation and artistic expression flourish, an enthralling link up has taken place, captivating the hearts of music and film enthusiasts alike. Fezihaus, our label-inspired workroom, worked with Christian Boakye Agyeman to craft a visual experience that transcends traditional norms. Together, we’ve conjured the world of SPRLUA, a project fueled by Fezihaus' avant-garde approach to self-narration.

Fezihaus stands as a space of creativity, intricately attuned to the pulse of contemporary conversations. Liberated from conventional constraints, we skillfully blend sonic experimentation, daring visuals, and forward aesthetics to forge a unique tapestry that commands devoted followers . Christian's style and techniques have enthralled viewers, leaving a mark through the music videos for "Saraevo" and "Assassinato."

In this dialogue, we embark on a captivating journey that delves into his creative odyssey, unveiling a poetic exploration of the intertwined realm of Nordic beauty and Black footprints. The synergistic forces that ignite the collective artistic vision are manifested in this remarkable exchange.

FHZ: How did you come to make “Saraevo”?

Saraevo was a beautiful combination of the technicalities of video production and if you may say the fluidity of creative direction. There's a sense of the weather in the way we got to shoot the project and also in the way it coincided with the SPRLUA’s elaborate branding strategy.

I thought that was a great testament to our approach to video production. We wanted it to feel colder and build its identity as a video that resides in Winter but that equally contains bright colours by having our subjects pop out of landscapes. Being able to show black bodies in deserted landscapes and claiming these spaces by finding comfort and joy. 

FHZ: What inspired the narrative and the decision to approach the piece almost like a fashion film?

The track was lively and repetitive by nature. So I went towards a direction that I felt was more appropriate to shoot. A more fashion-forward emblematic treatment seemed more appropriate than a heavier narrative. Having people move through space yet still going from point A to B felt like the way to go. Also since this was a video partnership with clothing brand Odeyalo, this also aided in the presentation of their garments pieces which elevated the music video in that regards as well

FHZ: What was your favorite part about shooting “Saraevo”?

My favorite part of shooting set a table what's the mere fact that we were out in nature breathing fresh air and after in the moments being able to sense and see our plan and organization unfold in front of our eyes was definitely part of this experience machine to 6 minutes 

FHZ: At times, nature film comes to mind when watching this music video. What are your thoughts on this and how capturing these visuals in Sutton helps convey the Idea behind the song? 

I am a huge fan of old films set in nature. I grew up on films like the Sound of music and the Great Escape, which are prime examples of this application. 

As of late, I’ve been drawn to shooting outdoors, it's much more picturesque while using available light. It's not too complicated to create scenes and setups, and you have much more liberty. Subjects versus vast space. Sutton is a beautiful place to film, the landscape serves as a great backdrop and there’s this just this beautiful sense of scale with vantage points that can be seen. Nature films are escapist in essence and I thought it would be great to fabricate a dream and otherworldliness.

FHZ: How did you pick your crew for the production of ‘Saraevo’? Tell us a bit about them.

Definitely. I picked Whitney Norceide as my DP and Edson Niebla Rodriguez Gil and Billy-Reginald Blanc to join the core unit for the video production. I studied with Whitney and Edson for year 1 in Film Production at Concordia University and let her take on a DP role. I included Edson as Assist. Director and have been working with him on previous productions for quite some time. Billy-Reginald used to be my coordinator at a previous position at a company as a Creative Director. We wera all also part of a project filmed in Toronto with Mark Clennon.

FHZ: Okay, lastly but importantly – let’s talk about Shanice and Pascale. About how their characters translated so well into the picture. Did you expect this?

We initially planned to have three dancers in the video. Although, we ended up only having them both available for the 2-day