Director's Works
Bvlgari, Iconic Stories Chelsea McMullan
Chelsea McMullan (they/them) is a leading voice in Canadian cinema. An award-winning director, writer and producer, McMullan’s visually striking and formally ambitious films are powered by their depth of storytelling and intimacy with characters. Their films have screened at Sundance, TIFF, the BFI London Film Festival and Lincoln Center, among other festivals internationally. Their 2024 documentary feature and limited series Swan Song (TIFF Gala Premiere/CBC/STARZ) received the $50,000 Toronto Film Critics Prize for Best Canadian Documentary, the DGC Prize for Best Direction, and The Globe and Mail named them Artist of the Year. Previous features include Ever Deadly (TIFF Premiere/Kino Lorber/NFB), Crystal Pite: Angels’ Atlas (VIFF Premiere/CBC), Michael Shannon Michael Shannon John (True/False Premiere/NFB) and My Prairie Home (Sundance Premiere/NFB). They’ve directed episodic television for Netflix, Crave and the CBC, including the forthcoming Beverly Glenn-Copeland children’s pilot Caring Cabin (Criterion Channel). They’ve directed commercials for clients including Gucci, Vogue Italia and a forthcoming campaign for Bvlgari. They live in Toronto with their partner and collaborator Douglas Nayler Jr. and their dog-children Zeus and Ruby.
Reborn Series: Iconic Stories' follows Bvlgari's Global Brand Ambassadors in a series of five cinematic portraits that explore personal transformation through intimate storytelling.
"What does it mean to be iconic?". Around this main topic, the digital documentary offers a raw and nuanced insight into the lives of these icons, with powerful stories of transformation, courage, and reinvention, showing how personal evolution can shape identity, transcend time, and create a legacy of timeless significance.
With a mix between digital and VHS camera to add a nostalgic visual texture when layered into the final piece, and with only use of natural light, the pieces are premium but are also feeling very natural.
Totally unscripted, the films has been done in total collaboration with Ambassadors and their team. The films are avoiding traditional featured product shots to express the quiet confidence of the Heroes wearing them as they move through their lives.
The music score and sound design have been originally created for the pieces, pairing with the global tone, playing with tonal shifts to enhance the stories’ emotional impact.
The director, Chelsea McMullan, is a Toronto-based documentary filmmaker and director, known for their innovative storytelling and deep exploration of identity and culture. Their 2013 film My Prairie Home, about transgender musician Rae Spoon, competed at the Sundance Film Festival and earned a Canadian Screen Award nomination. In addition to documentary, Chelsea directed commercials, theatrical trailers, and content for platforms and medias. Their work is celebrated for its rich visual style and compelling narratives that bridge both the commercial and documentary worlds.
Swan Song , their last documentary release, profiles National Ballet of Canada artistic director and former dancer Karen Kain as she directs a production of Swan Lake. The documentary won the award for Best Canadian Feature Documentary.
