Andrew Thomas Huang is a visual artist, writer and director who crafts hybrid fantasy worlds and mythical dreamscapes. Known for his Grammy nominated music videos of Björk, FKA twigs and Thom Yorke, Huang is also recognized as a writer and directer of narrative film. His work has been commissioned by and exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Sydney Opera House and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles. Inspired by his queer Chinese heritage, Huang’s work mines the unconscious realms to blend technology, mysticism, future folklore and queer spirituality.
Started in 2008, Vimeo’s Staff Pick program celebrates and awards creators who have challenged the status quo and ushered in a new vision for what video can do. Hand-selected by Vimeo’s curation team, the Staff Pick designation is a badge of honor for the creative community on Vimeo and spotlights the best short films on the internet. Generation Vimeo, Staff Pick’s 15-year anniversary campaign, invited 15 members of the Staff Picks community to curate video playlists, called Staff Pick Mixtapes, of their favorite Staff Picked Films – offering a special glimpse into the perspective of a community that celebrates the impact of boundary-pushing work and the power of video to inspire and enhance storytelling. In the final Staff Pick Mixtape being shared exclusively on Talkhouse, acclaimed artist and director Andrew Thomas Huang share six favorites from the roster.
Flying Lotus – “Until the Quiet Comes” by Kahlil Joseph
This video was such a seminal moment when it came out. Kahlil Joseph shook the ground with this one and it remains a masterpiece.
Múm – “Sing Along” by Kevin Phillips
This music video is a personal fav. I am in love with the playfulness, style, cinematography, spontaneity and expansiveness of vision in such a contained environment and simple setup between two characters.
Peripetics Ex Machina directed by ZEITGUISED
I love this making of Zeitguised’s film Peripetics, which blew my mind when it came out and showed so beautifully how you can make such visceral, tactile films with completely new visual vocabulary. This “making of” film inspired me the way they deconstructed all of their design choices, and illustrated how even the unused choices can become art.
And So We Put the Goldfish in the Pool by Makoto Nagahisa
This short is an amazing coming-of-age story about small-town ennui, teen angst, nostalgia and restlessness. The editing, camerawork and sound design are superb.
Sigh Gone by Jeannie Nguyen
I love the visual poetry of this film, so sensitive and lush.
Afronauts by Nuotama Bodomo
I was so riveted by this film when it came out, how it dared to dream big. Nuotama Bodomo is a visionary.
