The Work That Made Me: Femi Ladi
Femi Ladi is a British Nigerian director. He lives and works in London, exploring the fabric of the city and the unexamined experiences of working class communities.
He broke out with 'Blue: Winter’s Only Winner', an episodic docudrama for South London rapper A2. In 2021, Femi directed the music video for ‘My Family’ by Pa Salieu & Backroad G. He also shot videos for ‘Very Original’ by Guvna G, No Mercy’ by Ghetts and Backroad G and 'Mixed Emotions for Chase & Status'.
He won Best Grime/Rap video for 'My Family' at the 2021 UKMVAs, where he was also nominated for Best New Director.
In 2022 Femi won a writing competition run by BBH and directed his latest short 'OBA'
His commercial work includes spots for Apple, Intel, Baileys, Adidas and The London Screen Academy.
The ad/music video from my childhood that stays with me…
Femi> So Solid Crew - 21 seconds music video, I’d never seen anything like it before from a UK black perspective and I was obsessed. I was 13 when it came out and I would spend my day watching music channels waiting for it to come on.
The ad/music video/game/web platform that made me want to get into the industry…
Femi> Canel+ 'The Bear' The spot really resonated with me on a personal level because I was that bear! Watching on and then realising that I can also chase this dream of becoming a director, although light-hearted and comical it was actually quite inspirational. I feel this ad was one for the filmmakers. I loved every second of it, the creative and the execution was spot on. I’d love to make a spot like this.
The creative work (film/album/game/ad/album/book/poem etc) that I keep revisiting…
Femi> I keep revisiting Valentine Platini’s ASAP Ferg - Floor Seats video
I really enjoy rap videos that have a cinematic flair to them and not just a straight performance to camera. When I first saw this, I watched it over and over, all the transitions, different camera techniques. I really enjoyed it as a music fan but also as a director. I have definitely referenced it a lot.
My first professional project…
Femi> A2 'Blue: Winter’s Only Winner' This was my first music video commission and it is still one of my favourite projects. I really enjoy extended music videos and special music projects, so I was over the moon that I got to do one so early on in my career. The chance to explore different executions within the one film is something I got really excited about, and I was a big fan of the artist and his music so everything about this project felt special. I still feel this is one of my favourite projects, and one of the films i don't mind watching again.
The piece of work (ad/music video/ platform…) that made me so angry that I vowed to never make anything like *that*…
Femi> I’m sure that I'm not the only creative person to say this, but the Kendall Jenner Pepsi advert was just a huge colossal clusterfuck so I'm happy to mention it here.
The piece of work (ad/music video/ platform…) that still makes me jealous…
Femi> As I mentioned, I love special projects that give us more than just a standard music video. Khalil Joseph and Kendrick Lamar are both artists that I am constantly inspired by and early in both of their careers they made this special project. I believe it was just a tour video at first that then became an art film only shown in galleries. I would only see snippets here and there. Years later someone who worked on the project showed the film to me in their office and I was completely blown away. It was so beautifully poetic, yet authentically black at the same time, I had never seen imagery on the screen like this and it made a profound effect on me. Years later I noticed someone uploaded it on YouTube and I've watched it several times since.
Khalil Joseph’s Good kid, Maad City special project for Kendrick Lamar ….
The creative project that changed my career…
Femi> 'My Family' for Pa Saliue
The release of this video changed my career trajectory. I feel it was one of those moments when all the stars aligned. It was released during covid so i feel everyone had more time to watch and share and it just blew up. The song was brilliant and I really got great performances from the artist. I always wanted to bring a cinematic flair to rap videos and this was one where I was trying to experiment with the moco machine, not fully knowing if it would work until we got into the edit. Thankfully it did and the video opened many doors for me, which led me to signing with a production company and winning a UKMVA for the video.
Pa Salieu - My Family feat BackRoad Gee
The work that I’m proudest of…
Femi> My recent short film OBA, which is currently in the festival circuit, really rejuvenated my passion for filmmaking and storytelling. I got to tell a personal story in an expansive way and it was genuinely one of the best production/ filming experiences I have had. So much love went into the film, I was actually overwhelmed witnessing how much my collaborators poured into my story. I'm really proud of what we were able to achieve against the budget and how it has resonated with people so far.
I was involved in this and it makes me cringe…
Femi> I did a random project for an American artist that flew over to the UK, but as well as directing the video, I produced it and it was just a shambles. I ended up having to put my personal money in it as things just got out of control. Now I can never watch that video and not cringe.
The recent project I was involved in that excited me the most…
Femi> Definitely Stormzy - Toxic Trait music video.
Stormzy is one of the biggest artists in the UK and I'm a fan of his music. I think he has done really good videos in the past so there was a bit of pressure not to fuck it up haha. It was a challenge and my concept needed a lot of collaboration between the departments to make sure we were on the same page and there was enough attention to detail to pull it off. Yet I love productions that require everyone to sit down and figure how we can make it, all the creative minds all working towards one goal is one my favourite aspects of filmmaking.
