Emma Westenberg

Emma Westenberg is a Dutch film director, writer and producer known for her work in feature films, short films, commercials and music videos. She gained international recognition for directing Janelle Monáe's music video Pynk (2018), which was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Music Video.[1] She directed Bleeding Love (film) (2023), starring Ewan McGregor and Clara McGregor.[2]

Career

Westenberg studied at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam.[3] Her graduation film, Het stilleven van Estelle (The Still Life of Estelle), was selected for the Netherlands Film Festival Student Competition.[4]

She subsequently directed short films, such as the 2015 short “Je vriendin koopt een vis op de markt”, and Burning Oceans Into Deserts, which was described as a "contemporary take on the American western".[5] She makes commercials for clients including Levi's, Vogue, ASOS and Michelob Ultra. Her commercial for Michelob Ultra starring Zoë Kravitz premiered during Super Bowl LIII.

In 2018, Westenberg directed Janelle Monáe's music video Pynk, featuring Tessa Thompson. The video received widespread critical acclaim and was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Music Video at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards. Its distinctive pink "vagina pants", designed by Dutch fashion designer Duran Lantink, became an iconic visual element of the video.[6]

She was announced to direct the film Buffalo Flats in 2019.[7]

She made her fiction feature debut with You Sing Loud, I Sing Louder, which went on to be renamed[8] Bleeding Love, starring Ewan McGregor and Clara McGregor, and premiered in 2023.[9] The film has been described as a horror work hiding in a drama.[10]

Selected filmography

Feature films

Short films

  • Het stilleven van Estelle (2014)
  • A Painful Affair (2017)
  • Stranger's Arms (2018)
  • “Je vriendin koopt een vis op de markt” (2015)

Music videos

Awards and nominations

  • 2016 – Best New Fashion Film, Fashion Film Festival Milano (Blue and You)
  • 2017 – One to Watch, Fashionclash Festival
  • 2019 – Grammy Award nomination, Best Music Video (Pynk)
  • 2019 – Best Dutch Music Video, Go Short International Short Film Festival (Pynk)

References

  1. ↑ "Janelle Monáe 'PYNK' by Emma Westenberg". PromoNews. 13 April 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2026.
  2. ↑ Fleming Jr., Mike (11 March 2023). "Ewan & Clara McGregor On SXSW Premiere 'You Sing Loud, I Sing Louder' And Working Together In Father-Daughter Road Trip Drama". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 7 July 2026.
  3. ↑ "Emma Westenberg". Netherlands Film Festival. Retrieved 7 July 2026.
  4. ↑ "Het stilleven van Estelle". Netherlands Film Festival. Retrieved 7 July 2026.
  5. ↑ Dazed (2017-02-03). "The fashion film subverting the archetypal American Western". Dazed. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
  6. ↑ Bien-Kahn, Joseph. "Congrats on your viral music video; here's a thousand bucks". The Outline. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
  7. ↑ N'Duka, Amanda (2019-06-18). "Emma Westenberg Tapped To Direct 'Buffalo Flats' For MGM & 'Molly's Game' Producer". Deadline. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
  8. ↑ SHOOT (2023-03-31). "Emma Westenberg Makes Splash At SXSW With "You Sing Loud, I Sing Louder"". SHOOTonline. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
  9. ↑ James, Caryn (2023-03-12). "'You Sing Loud, I Sing Louder' Review: Ewan McGregor and Daughter Clara McGregor in an Uneven Parent-Child Drama". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
  10. ↑ Spoors, Tom (2024-02-12). "Bleeding Love Review: Horror Hides as Quirky Drama". Loud And Clear Reviews. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
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