Golden LA Signs Parisian Director Mustafa Mazouzi

Apr. 22, 2019

Multidisciplinary studio Golden LA has signed Paris-based director Mustafa Mazouzi. Of the signing, Golden LA Executive Producer Matthew Marquis remarks, “Immediately I was drawn to Mustafa’s eye and his ability to convey so much emotion within a frame. And his passion for filmmaking is so obvious, it was an immediate and simple decision for us.”

Somewhat unexpectedly, Mustafa Mazouzi burst into the commercial scene in 2016 with the high-energy ad “adidas Boost” which was selected for the Young Director Awards at Cannes. Since then, Mustafa has amassed an impressive body of work for brands including Nike, GMF, and Société Générale, with adidas coming back to him repeatedly.

Like many young directors, Mustafa started out screenwriting and making short films, first at La Sorbonne et L’Esec. His debut short ‘The Corner” was an indicator of his forthcoming success. Self-produced and shot on 35mm, “The Corner” resonated with audiences as a universal story exploring the dynamics between a father and son. The short was named an official selection of The Palm Springs Film Festival, and was followed by his second short “I Need Shine,” which screened at Sundance.

His ability to capture sports advertising with an instinctive, highly visceral eye comes from being a top athlete. As he says, “Sports films can be underground, modern, emotional…but they always express life and energy through movement. I love the creative challenge of finding new ways of filming bodies at various speeds and styles of motion.”

Mustafa’s robust visual vocabulary means he can unearth the humanity at the center of a story with many different approaches. At times, his films may be fast moving and frenetic, and at others subtle and poetic, but always precisely crafted. For his “Street” ad for Seat, which he filmed in Spain for the Football World Cup, Mustafa displays a refined take on naturalism. The voiceover narration of a poem penned by Mustafa pairs with authentic snapshots of everyday life across the different regions of Spain, giving the imagery an abstract beauty.

Signed to Big Productions in Paris, Mustafa has collaborated with leading agencies including TBWA\Paris, DDB, CLM.BBDO, C14Torce and Fred & Farid. He is repped in Spain by The Production Club, in the UK by Outsider, and for work in eastern Europe and Asia, he works with German-based company View-Finder.

This is Mustafa’s first official representation in the United States, a step that excites him greatly. He explains: “Americans celebrate a visual boldness in storytelling that doesn’t exist elsewhere. I want to make a name for myself where the best work, collaborating with the most innovative agencies and brands.”

On meeting EPs Matthew Marquis and Jake Banks, Mustafa says: 

“They saw in me the potential and energy to break into this market. Above all, they had a frank, straightforward way of making me feel their confidence. It was clear I could see myself evolving within the young, creativity-first structure they’ve created.”

 

Golden LA represents a new way of working, as a multidisciplinary studio driven by a roster of live action directors and a collective of designers and visual effects artists. Excited by the future, Golden LA brings the appropriate balance of innovation and experience to each aspect of the production process.