Margaux Esclapez (b.1991) is a Paris-based director whose entry point into filmmaking evolved from an installation art practice. Her precise imagery translates the emotion, energy, and style of the moment into sharp and immersive film and video. Her work is marked by an androgynous beauty and understated, unfussy cool; clinical and eerie while remaining seductive. Esclapez explains, “I like the contrast between things, if it’s hard and dark, I look toward the sweet side, or vice-versa. Atmosphere creates an emotion. I create experiences that are slightly contradictory, a mood that stays with the audience“. She’s earned a reputation in the fashion and music industries for straddling the delicate line between the transgressive and commercial. Her collaborations range from working with artists such as Shayne Oliver, Travis Scott, and Bernardino Femminielli to brands including Puma, Pornhub, and PIN–UP Home.
Esclapez’s work as a filmmaker has been recognized internationally. The worlds she depicts are informed by her teenage admiration for the moving-image work of Claire Denis, Gus Van Sant, Béla Tarr, and Bill Viola. In 2020, her first short film, Tomoko, debuted at the Image + Nation LGBTQ+ film festival in Montréal.
Text by Michael Bullock