As the world gets back to normal, many of us are contemplating our return to the office with trepidation and dread. After months of working from home, the prospect of the daily commute, shoehorning bodies used to the soft, sloppy embrace of sweatshirts and trainers into sharp-edged power suits, and venturing back to an urban environment, feels as alien as a voyage to the moon. Kasper Häggström’s brooding new video for Radiohead’s new track If You Say The World, which sees unlucky employees rounded up in the woods, taken by truck to the city and released into corporate slavery, brilliantly evokes this transition – but, as he tells 1.4, there’s more than one way to look at it.

If there’s a common theme that unites Elliot Simpson’s eclectic body of work, it’s a sense of joyful experimentation – each project is treated as an opportunity to try something new, be that a concept, a cinematic technique, or simply a cool new piece of kit. Add that to some distinctly tongue-in-cheek narratives – solving modern-day dating dilemmas by mail-ordering the perfect partner, say, or checking into rehab for a smartphone addiction – and you get the sense that the Park Village director is honing his filmmaking skills while still managing to have plenty of fun along the way. Off the back of a typically entertaining new music video for Tinie Tempah, he talks to 1.4 about his South London roots, alternative realities and the all-too-relatable regret of the morning after.

Combine a vague brief about ‘horse dressage’ with a majestic white steed, an equine-phobic director and a TikTok challenge, and what do you get? A simply extraordinary music video-slash-psychedelic fever dream in which an intriguing cast of characters intersect with technical camera trickery and stunning Georgian landscapes. Somesuch director Camille Summers-Valli tells 1.4 about overcoming childhood fears, endlessly duplicating horses and why she won’t be making Avatar 3 any time soon.

The balance of power is shifting. Hand on heart we had no agenda apart from looking for brilliant creative spots, but just take a look at this list - it's all women making these kick-ass films.

Though her childhood dream of being a stand-up comedian was scotched by self-proclaimed laziness, young Danish filmmaker Bine Bach has gone on to embrace the funnier side of life (and the joys of sitting down) with a string of films rich in surrealist, deadpan humour. For the creative-turned-director, it’s all about embracing the ‘creative splatter’ to nail that supremely awkward tension: is this something I should be laughing at? Biscuit’s latest signing talks to 1.4 about her hands-on approach, aspirations to make an Old Spice ad and why being busy is important – even for the bone idle.

US-Paris based director Jordan Blady talks with Niccolo Montanari about the appeal of French caper films and what draws him to shoot in Georgia

Those magnificent creative artists James and Luke of Rottingdean Bazaar have teamed up with Annie Collinge to craft this delicious piece of craziness for the band Audiobooks.

We’re suckers for a simple idea and a mesmerising tracking shot but there was something about Alewya’s clip that made us sit up and rivet our eyes to the last frame. We talk with Intergalactic Studios’ director Tom Ringsby about ditching elaborate plans for one simple visual, a primal sprint across the ‘desert’.

Catching up on tomorrow's classics

Lie back and let the music and film roll over you. Bliss.

This week’s second dopamine hit for those that love a spot or two of animation and meltingly beautiful soul

Imagine a place with really long arms to bring people together… Arms that reach out of the screen and pull you into a kaleidoscopic world of futuristic cityscapes, floating cows, talking socks and mediaeval taverns. Thus begins an epic short film for messaging platform Discord – and if, like one of its stars, Danny DeVito, it leaves you reeling, then spare a thought for filmmaker Finn Keenan. Tasked with distilling the Discord community’s weird and wonderful descriptions of the messaging platform into a five-minute film, the Riff Raff director merrily mixed up humour, VFX, stop-motion and retro-pop animation into a visually dazzling feast for the eyes. He tells 1.4 about three months of moving parts, his love of camera trickery and what really goes on inside DeVito’s egg head

Have you noticed how music videos are getting better and better - so good that we're going to run a series of brilliant clips. Here's our first round-up

From weekly visits to the video store to rent E.T.  to the heydays of 90s advertising to emails from Enya to rediscovering his love for his hometown, Michael Spiccia takes us Back to the Future as he talks about his latest Hyundai spot, Tomorrow Wants Its Car Back and the struggles of shooting a short-film in COVID.

Sanjay De Silva cleverly transforms the Australian rapper Jerome Farah into a rollercoaster cast of high-octane nutty characters for his video Concrete Jungle Fever. We catch up with the Division director about growing up in rural Victoria, miles and miles away from any other people of colour, and how his work reflects the diverse, funny, talented communities he now sees as the real Australia.

For most of his life, filmmaker Andzej Gavriss has been convinced that there’s more to this world than meets the eye. Waiting to escape the grim post-Soviet environment of his birthplace in Riga, Latvia, he evaded reality by taking refuge in a playground of the imagination. Since shooting his first short aged 13, the HALAL director has morphed into an ambitious and driven filmmaker whose laser-focused approach to production is matched only by his passion for socially charged topics. With his latest project, We Can Become Better, he’s aiming to challenge homophobic attitudes in Russia through the prism of a forbidden love story told through dance. He talks to 1.4 about fiendishly complicated choreography and simulated reality.

Temporarily grounded by the pandemic, international director Jason Bock scales new heights in his home country New Zealand for local band Leisure.

Looking for exceptional new talent? Then have a scroll through the cream of this year's films from new directors - some still at film school, others with limited professional experience - and all deserving of their golden accolades awarded by the jury

Take the day off and roll through this super-sized reel of work that picked up silver at the recent YDA. In alphabetical order according to category don't miss the astounding films in the second half. Part 2, the GOLDS, will be coming to your screen soon

We’re sure you, like us, have noticed how ridiculously good student films have become so we’re thrilled to show off these winning and shortlisted commercials from film schools and those starting out in their filmmaking careers. There was much debating among the Porsche Award jury but in the end there were three that really caught our imagination: Eugen Merher’s thrilling action packed road movie for Swarovski; Katarzyna Jarecka and Jakub Skitek’s humorous and clever spot for Durex which we won’t forget in a hurry; and Libby Burke Wilde’s impressive film Absent that imparts a clear message on a rarely discussed topic.

Our favourite director from Gothenburg, Vedran Rupic, has now become our favourite director in the world. Just take a look at this latest video from the supremely absurd team of Vedran and Salvatore Ganacci and you’ll see why.

As an agency creative director by day, David Dearlove is well acquainted with the good, the bad and the sheer interminable length of so-called ‘short’ films. It’s no surprise, then, that when he came to make his own, he decided to lampoon every trope, from shoestring budgets to casting friends and family. The result is a brilliantly self-aware piece of film, which marries beautiful craft with tongue-in-cheek comedy, and stands in stark contrast to his previous hard-hitting charity spots. He talks to 1.4 about the benefits of a fame-hungry father and why directing was a natural step to take.

TAKE US TO SOME GLORIOUS PLACES WE REALLY WANT TO GO TO

Let’s be honest: whether for the sweaty thrill of Kate Winslet’s hand sliding down the steamy window of a cab, or ogling Leo DiCaprio in all his baby-faced glory, most of us have watched Titanic on repeat. For Caviar director Lisette Donkersloot, childhood viewings of James Cameron’s disaster movie instilled a taste for drama and downward spiral storylines – evident in her impeccably styled music videos for Mr Probz and Yellow Claw, and, most recently, her dystopian short Lead Balloons. The self-confessed ‘introvert on the outside, extrovert on the inside’ tells 1.4 why images speak louder than words, and her plans to make a ‘metaphorical’ porn film.

It took a while in coming, but Ben Strebel’s stunning video for Skrillex, Starrah and Four Tet’s track Butterflies is a spot-on portrait of a generation of youth now coming together again after a year of covid isolation. 1.4 talks with the director about making this fantastical choreographed film where the kids morph into exquisite ghosts as a metaphor for liberation.

The Kusp - a social enterprise mentored by Somesuch - is on a mission to “serve the underserved” within fashion, film and television. We asked co-founder Amos to share some of the work from creatives that have been positively impacted by the partnership

The secrets of domestic life are a source of intrigue to us all. Who hasn’t wondered what goes on behind closed doors of their family’s, friends’ and neighbours’ homes? For director Mashie Alam,  this fascination has been a major influence on her filmmaking oeuvre – and as a former architecture student, it’s not only what happens within walls but the walls and space themselves that she’s keen to explore. With her fashion insider’s eye informing styling, choreography and casting, Alam’s films are captivating and contrasting: from the fizzing physical energy of Constant to Boredom, an eccentric ode to ennui. She tells 1.4 about bringing together film, storytelling and architecture and the appeal of ‘slightly off’ subtitles.

Handing over an iPhone to a homeless woman to document her life on the streets would be a leap of faith for any director, but for self-confessed ‘control freak’ Giulia Gandini (pictured right), it taught her the value in embracing the unexpected – and produced a uniquely authentic docu-short which shifts the perspective from the filmmaker to the subject. From homelessness to period shaming, uncomfortable social taboos continue to draw her lens: captured from a strong female perspective and turned into meaningful stories. She tells 1.4 about the joy of improvisation and righting childhood wrongs through film.

Whether it's games, music videos, short films or short funny ads, Studio Birthplace directors Jorik Dozy and Sil van der Woerd's mission is to tell critical stories in unique ways to create awareness and inspire change.

Despite being the scion of a filmmaking family, Natalie Rae avoided directing for a long time – but eventually the pull was too great. And thank goodness for that, because her work – which moves seamlessly between music videos, documentaries and commercials – is rich in all the contradictions and complexities of humanity. In PLAY NEW, her latest spot for Nike, she’s dug deep into Korean culture to challenge established norms and bring back the sheer exhilarating joy of sport – and all from a hotel room. She talks to 1.4 about finding inspiration in kitchen dancing and why she’s determined to avoid being typecast.

The message is the medium