As filmmakers, we’re spoiled with all the instruments we can use to elevate a story. We have music, lighting, dialogue, camera movements, VFX, and more. I always considered stand-up comedy the most natural and direct art form of storytelling. It’s just a mic and a crowd—as raw as it gets. There’s a lot to learn from performances like Dave’s. Timing, cadence, intonation, the use of silence, and body language — all determine whether something lands.

It’s safe to say that this ad has left a permanent imprint on my childhood. I remember how proud I was to see Dutch players in the ad. After seeing this, my friends and I were immediately into cage football. The worldbuilding, the suspense, the cameos, the use of music, the fact that it’s three minutes (the original version is even longer) with hardly any speech — it’s incredibly well done.

It always intrigues me how much you can reduce an idea to its very core and still be left with something powerful. This is a beautiful example — so small yet so universal.

At first, I couldn’t figure out why I liked this Documentary so much. Then I realized this was the first time I had seen a documentary that was not narrated. It was a purely observational chain of intimate moments with the men of Florida. It made everything so much more honest.

This movie opened another chamber in my brain. It was so deeply fascinating to me how Yorgos portrays societal and cultural themes and twists the knobs on them towards absurdity. It left me asking questions on how absurd our own reality really is. All the (un) conscious structures and ways of thinking hidden in the mundanity of everyday life — do we even notice them?

A reflective film about human instincts, choices, and relationships: it’s interesting how Ruben exposes what’s under the surface of a relationship by adding tension and danger to situations. All served on a plate of dark comedy.

Pharrel and Justin figuring out a bridge. Just magic.

I’m sure this film has been mentioned here many times. It’s just so beautifully filled with elegance, exploring the meaning of life within the decadent world of fame, wealth, and beauty. What would the world look like if we all had the bullshit filter of Jep Gambardella? I love how he uses so much satire to give these topics a stage.

Skateboarding videos have been a big part of my discovery of the mediums of film and music. Seeing Spike Jonze reshape the traditional way of making skateboard films have been a huge inspiration for me.