Crowns & Owls direct a poetic and symbolic one-shot promo for Palestinian-Canadian singer-songwriter Nemah Hasan - aka Nemahsis. The concept reveals itself through a gradual tracking shot, opening with the artist in near freeze-frame, barely mumbling the song's lyrics, before she breaks out of her pose and starts to realise she is part of the window display of a New York department store, and trapped behind the glass.The video follows Nemahsis's emergence on TikTok as a singular voice as a hijab-wearing modern woman, and her second single Dollar Signs expresses the pain of being exploited. Directing team Crown & Owls' evocative video explores those themes of self-worth and societal pressure, and the distinctive, painterly aesthetic elevates the visual to a transcendent, poignant space. "Numerous times, I have found myself being taken advantage of - often in ways unimaginable," explains the Palestinian-Canadian in the video description. "I have cemented my worth and placed it in gold, only to be recognized as cheap wood and common plastic - means to an end. It is a heartbreaking truth. Society takes yet rarely does it return; it is eager to put its people in a glass box.”
Rob Ulitski - 27th Jan 2022