January 1, 2024
LXIV — Paul Herrmann
Paul Herrmann is a self-taught director based in Berlin.

Below are Paul’s selects for influential works:

Film
Prisoners by Denis Villeneuve
United States
2013

By far my favorite movie. Personally, I’m obsessed with the American countryside, so the entire look and feel is just incredible. I love Jake Gyllenhaal and how the story builds around him, his loneliness and his ticks. For some strange reason, I truly love dark thrillers. Though it has some violent scenes, I love its slow pace and how the story evolves.

You heard it here first, but if I ever do a feature, it’ll be a thriller.

Film
Basketball Diaries by Scott Kalvert
United States
1995

I love young Leo. He was by far my favorite actor in his earlier days. Though this film is very different from the above, I love the whole aesthetic of New York in the 90’s. I draw a lot of inspiration from that era in my personal work, style, and life. The film just feels very pure and honestly told.

Film
Cmon Cmon by Mike Mills
United States
2021

What I love about this film, regardless of Joaquin and how beautifully it was executed, is that it is such a microcosm of life. It’s so human and so relatable in many ways. The plot is so slow and normal, but you truly feel with and for the characters even though nothing crazy happens.

Film
Lost in Translation by Sofia Coppola
United States & Japan
2003

Just because.

Documentary
Fire Of Love by Sara Dosa
United States & Canada
2022

Incredible story, incredible pictures, and just incredibly heart-breaking.

Music Video
Mama’s Eyes’ METTE by Camille Summers-Valli
United Kingdom
2023

Nothing to add here; Camille is just outstanding in so many ways. All of her work is crazy good.

Music Video
A$AP Forever’ A$AP Rocky by Dexter Navy
United States
2018

Worth mentioning here. Though I haven’t been watching it a lot lately, when I first got into videos and directing, this video was absolutely mindblowing to me. On a visual level, the transitions, just the whole vibe.

Music Video
‘The Scientist’ Coldplay by Jamie Thraves
United Kingdom
2002

Growing up, my dad would always listen to Coldplay, so it was part of my life from an early stage. A few years ago, my friend showed me the video when we were drunk, and I loved it. The idea, even though it’s incredibly simple and something you see quite often nowadays, blew me away. It’s a mix of nostalgia and liking the video.

Campaign
‘Mediterranean Dream’ Mango by Diana Kunst
Spain
2021

It’s just pleasing to look at overall. It makes you want to travel the world with your friends. I am all about that.

Campaign
‘Haters’ Sprite by Karim Huu Do
United States & Argentina
2019

I could list all of Karim’s commercials here, but I have probably watched this one the most.

PEOPLE IN THIS ARTICLE
Scott Kalvert
Featured
Sara Dosa
Featured
Jamie Thraves
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