Director's Works
BIJI, Zigidi Maceo Frost
Named after James Brown's funky saxophone player, Maceo Frost was raised in Sweden by his Pro BMX rider father and Professional Skateboarding mum. He discovered filmmaking at 11 and by age 19 had landed a Swedish Grammy nomination for Best Music Video of the Year for his school project. A keen sports fan himself Maceo’s debut feature Too Beautiful: Our Right to Fight, about Cuban boxer Namibia Rodriguez, was Adidas’ first branded doc, and was world premiered on HBO following its premiere at the Sheffield International Documentary Festival. He has also shot the critically acclaimed dance documentary Raised by Krump and the successful Swedish surf film Live to Sea (which garnered a shout out from Kelly Slater himself!) His magic touch carries over into the commercial world, having idealized hugely successful campaigns for the likes of Dick’s Sporting Goods, Asics, Virgin, Facebook, the NBA, adidas, Nokia, BMW, Mercedes, and Yamaha. In 2019, Maceo’s self-written film What If for IKEA picked up a GOLD for best online commercial at the Shots awards, whilst his YouTube Spotlight film - about Afrobeat superstar Burna Boy - picked up a Gold Clio. Maceo was also named a Young Gun winner by The One Club in 2017 and awarded a silver in the Young Director Awards at Cannes Lions 2018. Signed to Knucklehead in 2016, Maceo continues traveling the world with intrepid spirit directing films. He has a unique way of letting people share their deepest secrets with the camera. Maceo plays drums and believes rhythm is the secret to everything, a theme that lies at the core of his highly praised short film, Raised By Krump, which went on to garner several accolades including a nomination for the Grand Jury Award at the SXSW Film Festival. Maceo is also one half of the wildly talented musical act BIJI, who recently signed to Empire record label in the US. A keen surfer, Maceo – when not working – can be found catching waves in some of the most remote parts of the world.
Fusing musical genres and transcending borders, this dynamic promo for musical duo BIJI's track, Zigidi, directed by Maceo Frost is a playful, vibrant, and informative lens into Kurdish culture. The promo sees Nazari embark on a journey to deliver a car, a journey which quickly descends into a dizzying joyride offering incredibly personal and philosophical insights. Thoughtfully blending Kurdish and Western Asian music traditions with contemporary splashes of Hip Hop, Afrobeat, Latin, and Dance music, their self-titled new album, BIJI, aims to reframe the conversation about Kurdish culture and art. Zigidi, translating to ‘Millions’, shows the range and intensity of the album as its focal track. "My parents and their whole generation gave up their lives for the freedom I have today," reflects Nazari, referring to countless wars and conflicts in the region as well as a ban on speaking, recording, and performing songs in Kurdish that lasted years. The artist remains in pursuit of lasting freedom and expression.