Jen Kennedy

A nostalgic look at coming of age.

An artful rumination on the cycles of life with powerful imagery that ranges from scenic vistas to studio set-pieces.

Jack Antonoff might not be your typical romcom leading man, and he might be cursed with bad luck, but damned if he isn't persistant in getting the perfect take in this tie-in with new film Love, Simon​.

Actor August Aiden portrays a trans teen who stops seeking to fit in at home and at school, and instead decides to let his colors shine without any shame or fear. 

Dano Cerny, director: "The biggest challenge was finding a young trans actor who felt comfortable in the role. When I met August, he had never acted before but he was so comfortable with who he was that he was able to step into the role without fear and we were really lucky to find him. Mego (Lin, DP) and I went about shooting most scenes really intimately, just us and the actors. I wanted to feature real trans actors, so in addition to August, a lot of our background talent at the school are Trans actors playing themselves as students. 

We were on set together the morning Trump announced the Transgender Military ban. I remember being in the kitchen with Wrable and August (lead actor) discussing how it suddenly felt like a call to action for us as artist. We were angry and frustrated but had this video to use as our way to spread love at time when we all could use so more of it. We wanted to include Trump’s presence subtly in the video to make him accountable for the lives he is impacting, the behavior he’s condoning and the people who suffer because of his choices. We all suffer as a community, but it really impacts people lives and we wanted to tell one version of the many stories out there about young people finding themselves."

First off, the Jameson advertisement that starts this video off is maybe my favorite product placement in a music video, and not because of the product, but actually for dispensing with the business is a brilliantly clear and forthright way. After that we shift for a gorgous retro TV performance that's soaked with soul and class.