Claire edmondson tania martins present the seams
Claire Edmondson is a filmmaker. She was born in Liverpool, England and grew up in Canada.
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Career
In February 2011, Austra released their first music video “Beat and the Pulse” directed by Edmondson. The dark, sexy video featured women of different shapes and sizes, some with (silicon) mutations dancing in a dark basement after-hours type space. The video was described as David Lynch meets Sofia Coppola and Edmondson became a part of the “new female gaze”. One that saw women as powerful, where women took ownership of their sexuality instead of being objectified. The Rumpus wrote: “Take, for example, the video for “Beat and the Pulse” that was censored by YouTube. Full of topless dancers, the video showcases a woman in control of her sexuality.”
Sweetest Kill video and controversy
The music video for Broken Social Scene's Sweetest Kill (June 2011) polarised people across the internet. A dark take on love gone wrong, the video featured Bijou Phillips lovingly chopping up her boyfriend and burying him in a rose garden. In 2011 women rarely killed in pop culture and the video was subject to backlash. Despite the backlash, it quickly became the dreamy “Female Gaze” calling card. The video was celebrated by many, while agitating some indie fans, with a handful of men harassing Edmondson online, calling her despicable and bemoaning she ruined their favourite band for them. While this female powerplay horrified many, others wrote of its importance. In one indie music video, Edmondson managed to dismantle the indie film world’s “manic pixie dream girl” trope.
The Sweetest Kill video was banned in Canada. “The video was in part funded by MuchFACT, a production fund provided by Canadian music television stations MuchMusic and MuchMore, though both stations ended up banning it due to its content.” Controversy ensued when the same week, the station played Kanye West’s “Monster” which depicted a man killing many women. “People got really, really upset about that video in a way I didn’t expect them to,” says Edmondson. “After that video a lot of videos came out with dudes killing people and no one was disturbed by them. But because [the The Sweetest Kill video] was a feminine take on killing, it really disturbed people.”
Broken Social Scene’s “Sweetest Kill” and Austra’s “Beat and the Pulse” were named 2 of the top ten videos of the years by Stereogum. “Claire Edmondson, the director, also did Broken Social Scene’s “Sweetest Kill” video, proving that she can do a few entirely different forms of disturbing.”
Edmondson collaborated with Austra again, making a film protesting Russia’s imprisonment of the band Pussy Riot. In the film, Stelmanis sets herself on fire in protest. The film was shown at the Tribeca Film Festival as a part of the inaugural NOW program.
In 2013, Edmondson was named “Canada’s Next Great Auteur” by the Globe and Mail, due to her distinct voice, aesthetic and contribution to the “new Female Gaze”.
Commercial work
Everlast's 'I’m a Boxer' video was released in January 2015. “Edmondson, a Toronto-based filmmaker, tells AdFreak she hopes "to inspire and empower young girls, encouraging them to claim their place in sports." Part of the inspiration for writing the script "came from always being called a 'female director,' " she says. “‘I’m A Boxer’ Video Is A Powerful Response To Sexism In Sports”. Everlast recently launched their new ad which follows a young female boxer into the ring, aiming to completely destroy sexism in the sport.
In 2015 Edmondson was named “New Director to Watch” by Shots. While talking about the sexism in the advertising industry she stated: “If men can direct tampon commercials surely women can direct beer commercials”.
In 2016 Edmondson was shortlisted for a Young Director Award at Cannes for her work on Leo Burnett's “Own It” campaign for Special K.