Floria Sigismondi

Floria Sigismondi (, born 1973) is an Italian-Canadian film director, screenwriter, music video director, artist, and photographer.

She is best known for writing and directing The Runaways, for directing music videos for performers including Dua Lipa, Sam Smith, David Bowie, Rihanna, Marilyn Manson, Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake, Leonard Cohen, Katy Perry, Björk, The White Stripes, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant and Ellie Goulding, and commercials. Sigismondi has also directed two episodes of The Handmaid's Tale and American Gods.

Life and career Sigismondi was born in Pescara, Abruzzo, Italy. Her parents, Lina and Domenico Sigismondi, were opera singers. Her family, including her sister Antonella, moved to Hamilton, Ontario, Canada when she was two. Starting in 1990, she studied painting and illustration at the Ontario College of Art, today's Ontario College of Art & Design University (OCADU).

Sigismondi started a career as a fashion photographer. She came to directing music videos when she was approached by the production company The Revolver Film Co., and directed music videos for a number of Canadian bands. Her innovative, but also disturbing video works, located in sceneries she once described as "entropic underworlds inhabited by tortured souls and omnipotent beings," attracted a number of very prominent musicians. She has further described her works as, "Something quite textural and brutal" and something quite beautiful and light. It's like blending two worlds."

With her photography and sculpture installations she had solo exhibitions in Hamilton and Toronto, New York City, Brescia (Italy), Gothenburg (Sweden), and London. Her photographs also were included in group exhibitions, together with artists Cindy Sherman, Joel-Peter Witkin, and Francesco Clemente. The German art press Die Gestalten Verlag has published two monographs of her photography, Redemption (1999) and Immune (2005). Sigismondi also creates her own set props for various music video productions such as, Perfume Genius's "Die 4 U". "If I don't create them myself, I design or draw them, I can get quite tactile detailed as far as what I see."

Filmography Short film Postmortem Bliss (2006) Leaning Towards Solace (2012)

Feature film The Runaways (2010) The Turning (2020) The Silence of Mercy (TBA)

Television Year Title Episode(s) 2014 Hemlock Grove "Bodily Fluids" 2016 Daredevil "Kinbaku" 2017 The Handmaid's Tale "A Woman's Place" "The Other Side" American Gods "Come to Jesus"

Music videos (selection)

Director Title Year Artist Notes "This is My Life" 1992 Rita Chiarelli "Not Quite Sonic" 1993 I Mother Earth "A Certain Slant of Light" The Tea Party "Save Me" The Tea Party "The River" The Tea Party "The Birdman" 1994 Our Lady Peace version 1 "Blue" 1995 Harem Scarem "Four Leaf Clover" 1996 Catherine "The Beautiful People" Marilyn Manson "Anna Is a Speed Freak" Pure "Tourniquet" Marilyn Manson "Little Wonder" David Bowie "Black Eye" 1997 Fluffy "Dead Man Walking" David Bowie "Makes Me Wanna Die" Tricky "(Can't You) Trip Like I Do" Filter & The Crystal Method "Anything but Down" 1998 Sheryl Crow "Most High" Jimmy Page and Robert Plant "Chinese Burn" Curve "Can't Get Loose" Barry Adamson "Get Up" 1999 Amel Larrieux "I've Seen It All" 2000 Björk interactive "webeo" version "4 Ton Mantis" Amon Tobin "In My Secret Life" 2001 Leonard Cohen "John, 2/14" Shivaree "Obstacle 1" Interpol "Megalomaniac" 2004 Incubus "Hurt" Christina Aguilera "Die by the Drop" 2010 The Dead Weather "Cherry Bomb" Dakota Fanning & Kristen Stewart "Try" P!nk "The Stars (Are Out Tonight)" 2013 David Bowie "Mirrors" Justin Timberlake MTV Video Music Award 2013 Video of the Year "The Next Day" David Bowie "Montauk Fling" Lawrence Rothman "#1 All Time Low" Lawrence Rothman "Fatal Attraction" Lawrence Rothman "California Paranoia" 2015 Lawrence Rothman ft. Angel Olsen "Oz vs. Eden" Lawrence Rothman "Users" Lawrence Rothman "H" 2016 Lawrence Rothman "Sledgehammer" Rihanna "Die 4 You" 2017 Perfume Genius "Without Love" Alice Glass "Ain't Afraid Of Dying" Lawrence Rothman ft. Marissa Nadler "Designer Babies" Lawrence Rothman ft. Kim Gordon "Jordan" Lawrence Rothman ft. Kristin Kontrol "Swan Song" 2019Dua Lipa From Alita: Battle Angel "Lifetime" Yves Tumor "Into Happiness" Phantogram "Unholy" 2024 Sam Smith ft. Kim Petras "Destiny" 2025Ellie Goulding "Return to Myself" Brandi Carlile "Human" Brandi Carlile

Cinematographer

2000 "4 Ton Mantis", Amon Tobin

Awards

1997 MTV Music Video Awards, USA - Nomination for Best Rock Video: "Beautiful People" (Marilyn Manson) 1998 British Music Video Awards, UK - Nomination for Best Video: "Little Wonder" (David Bowie) 1999 German Kodak Photobook Award, for her book Redemption 2003 MTV European Awards - Best International Video Award, for Untitled (Sigur Rós) 2003 New York Underground Film Festival - Audio/Visual Award, for Untitled (Sigur Rós) 2003 Advertising and Design Awards, Toronto, Ontario, Canada - Special Merit Award for Music Video, for "Fighter" (Christina Aguilera) 2004 Juno Awards, Canada - Best Music Video, for "Fighter" (Christina Aguilera) 2013 MTV Music Video Award, USA - Winner for Video of The Year, for Mirrors (Justin Timberlake) 2024 UK Music Video Awards - Icon Award