Alma Har’el on Listening to Self, Connection on Set and Signing with Somesuch
After spending the past few years immersed in long-form narrative, collaborating with the likes of Natalie Portman on ‘Lady in the Lake’ and directing Bob Dylan in 'Shadow King’ to name a few, Alma Har’el has rediscovered the kinetic joy of the short-form.
Returning to commercials, her latest offering is a surreal and soulful Coach campaign, a project that reminded her of the intimacy and immediacy that can unfold in a single shot. Now, she’s taking that energy into a new phase, signing with Somesuch for UK and Netherlands representation.
Known for their roster of visionary voices and boundary-pushing work, the production company marks a fitting home for Alma, who continues to blur the lines between poetic and provocative.
Alma speaks about creative trust, the shifting industry landscape, and why fashion, cinema, and risk all feel part of the same urgent conversation.
LBB> Why was now the right time to sign with Somesuch, and what drew you to them specifically for UK and Netherlands representation?
Alma> I’ve spent the past few years deepening my work, stretching into long‑form narrative with the wonderful Natalie Portman on ‘Lady in the Lake’. Funnily enough, nothing makes you appreciate the joy in the immediacy and invention of commercial work like directing seven hours of television.
Somesuch felt like the right partner for this moment because they exist at the intersection of culture and craft. They know how to work with artists who are restless in the best way, always trying to push the form. For me, it’s about aligning with people who don’t just see where the industry is, or where it was, but where it can go.
LBB> From their roster or ethos, what aspects of Somesuch feel like the right creative and cultural fit for you at this point in your career?
Alma> Somesuch has built something rare... A roster that feels like a constellation of distinct voices rather than a specific type. There’s an ethos there of letting directors bring their full selves into the work, which is essential for me.
I’m drawn to them because they hold that tension between the poetic and the provocative. They make work that’s not only visually striking but feels alive. I’ve been a fan of many of their directors for a long time, so joining feels like stepping into a creative place I’ve long admired from the outside.
LBB> What kind of work are you hoping to explore in this new chapter—are there particular brands, formats, or genres you’re excited to tackle within the UK/European market?
Alma> I want to create work that feels like it belongs to this cultural moment while also transcending it. There's energy in the UK and European markets... A willingness to embrace risk that excites me.
Fashion, in particular, feels like a playground for me right now. I never looked at it that way, but following my recent campaign with Charles Melton for Coach, produced by the incredible team at LIEF, who gave me the trust and support to delve deeper, I feel inspired to collaborate with more actors and artists I love.
It’s an opportunity to bring cinematic language into a space that can sometimes be visually predictable and liberate it with dreamlike playfulness, while leaning into more contemporary storytelling. I like using fashion as a narrative surface, and I loved writing the script for Coach. They were an incredible partner.
LBB> How do you see this signing aligning with or expanding on your recent trajectory, especially following your work on ‘Lady in the Lake’ and the Coach campaign?
Alma> Those projects reminded me how much I value emotional truth, whether it’s in a sprawling narrative world or a single shot in a commercial.
The Coach campaign with Charles Melton, in particular, was a lesson in trust and improvisation. I scripted the whole thing, but what really happened on set was a free‑fall of discovery. Charles talked about how he felt safe because of the trust we built before stepping on site. And I remember half‑way, we just let the cameras roll and he didn’t know what he was doing. It became this very improvisational exercise in presence and paranoia, pulling something intimate and funny and real into a commercial structure.
Signing with Somesuch feels like an expansion of that journey, a way to keep flexing between scales and genres without losing depth.
LBB> How are you processing the shifts in industry structures around equity and access, and how does that influence your outlook as a filmmaker and collaborator today?
Alma> We’re living through a seismic reshaping of the industry, and the whole world... I often spoke about what power structures allow us to tell stories, how they’re funded, and who they’re for. It’s painful, but it’s overdue.
As a filmmaker, I feel a responsibility to not only make space for new voices but to interrogate the systems we’ve normalised. I spent eight years working on it with Free The Bid and later Free The Work, and when that chapter came to a legal close with Trump’s election, it left me reflecting on how fragile progress can be. Right now, I’m focused on the practice of listening and reminding myself who I am creatively. For me, that means being intentional about who I collaborate with and why.
LBB> Are you approaching long-form and short-form differently these days? How do you balance commercial work with ongoing storytelling in film and television?
Alma> They’re different muscles in the same body. Long‑form is where silence can breathe and stories can build their emotional architecture. Short‑form, especially commercial work, demands precision and immediacy, it’s about finding the heartbeat of an idea in 60 seconds or less. They feed each other.
Photography has become another natural extension of that practice. I'm deeply passionate about shooting on film, growing my collection of old cameras, and staying curious between bigger projects.
That day with Charles for Coach wasn’t just about direction. It was about trusting the process, and making something with people I’d only just met that felt both spontaneous and cinematic. I cherish that kind of work.
At the end of the day, whether it’s a commercial or a feature, I’m chasing the same thing: a sense of aliveness. Those rare moments where everyone, on set, in front of the camera, behind it, feels like they’re discovering something together. That’s the privilege I hold onto, and I never take it for granted.
[All pictures taken by Gustavo T. Astudillo]
