Nourished during his youth in Prague by both the bohemian landscape of central Europe and the large-scale Hollywood productions often shooting there, Emile Rafael’s passion for filmmaking and art took root early on. Those childhood encounters have now blossomed into a career as a celebrated director and artist flourishing in the creative hothouse of London. Originally studying to be a cinematographer, Emile quickly made the leap to directing by creating dynamic videos for the likes of Katy B, X Ambassadors, Jamie N Commons, and Stubborn Heart. His love of fine art, visually stunning VFX and documentary film heavily influences his voice as a director, pushing him to seek out visual boldness and human truth in equal measure on every project.
Emile is a frequent collaborator with Nowness, and works with I-D on an array of projects. His work has been featured in SHOTS, The Beak Street Bugle, The Reel, 1.4, and Little Black Book, among others. His video for MØ’s “Walk This Way” earned him the trophy for Danish Music Video of the Year at the Danish Music Awards. Emile was also shortlisted for the Next Director Awards at D&AD with his short film, His Heavy Heart, profiling legendary comic book creator Alan Moore.
As a musician Emile transcends between ambient, and more beat based, melodic techno worlds. His interest is making music as analogue as possible, stepping away from involving a digital audio workstation.
His paintings have featured in a number of London art showcases, adding to his audio-visual output.
Recognition
AdForum Best Car Ad of the month – “Jaguar / Show of Force”
Kinsale Sharks – Best Cinematography “Not Gonna Break Me / Jamie N Commons”
D&AD Next Director Award – Short List “Alan Moore / His Heavy Heart”
Vimeo Staff Pick – “Stubborn Heart / Penetrate”
Vimeo Staff Pick “Frank Ghery / Creating Feeling”
Danish Music Awards – Grammy for Best Music Video “MØ / Walk This Way”
Vimeo Staff Pick “Sue and The Mole Man House”
London Short Film Festival Visual Award – “Emilie Nicholas / Pstereo”
ADFF Film Festival Showcase – “Frank Gehry / Creative Feeling”
Le Book Short Film Award – First Prize Jury’s “Stubborn Heart / Penetrate”
ADFF Film Festival Best Design Short – “Ian Simpson / In Residence”
ADFF Film Festival Best Design Short – “Yves Behar / In Residence”
1.4 – Director Showcase
Radar Music Video Awards – Best Up & Coming Music Video “Saturday, Monday / Headshake”
ADFF Film Festival Showcase – “Kulapat Yantrasast / In Residence”
London Short Film Festival Best Visual Short – “Saturday, Monday /Headshake”
Ascona Film Festival – 1st Audience Prize for “Partition”