Athens in 2034

Watch the “Neo Surf” video clip by ROMAIN GAVRAS and SURKIN co-produced by Onassis Culture here: https://youtu.be/saIN0h_r7ws

Is there a space for beauty in an apocalyptic environment? A music video takes you in a four- and-a-half-minute journey through Athens of 2034 in order to revisit places of the city you may have seen a thousand times, but you could never imagine seeing them that way. In an apocalyptic Athenian landscape set in 2034, among surfers, samurai swords, and ostriches, director Romain Gavras who has created much debated video clips for artists such as M.I.A., Kanye West, and Justice, and composer/DJ Surkin present the “Neo Surf” video, the first chapter of their GENER8ION project, co-produced by Onassis Culture and iconoclast.tv. Shot entirely in metropolitan Athens and featuring 070 Shake, the digital version of “Neo Surf” video invades our screens, in its global release, with breathtaking images and sounds.

Romain Gavras has said: “It was my first time shooting in Greece, and I felt at home. With the support of Onassis Culture and my amazing Greek crew, we made something I could not have made anywhere else in the world built from images and locations I had in my mind of Greece since I was a child. Kids will be kids, doing kids’ things and creating memories even if the world is dying.”

The video clip was uploaded on YouTube four days ago and has already 1.5 million views.

And this is just the beginning. The GENER8ION universe comes to life from January 8 to February 27, 2022, at the Onassis Stegi Exhibition Hall, in a spectacular multimedia installation about a future that reminds us of the present. Stay tuned at onassis.org.GENER8ION is a multidisciplinary collaborative project led by producer and composer Surkin and director Romain Gavras. After a first EP released in 2016, this project was reborn in 2021 with the first track “Neo Surf” — performed by 070 Shake, close collaborator of Kanye West and artists on his label G.O.O.D Music. “Neo Surf” comes along with a spectacular music video directed by Romain Gavras, shot in a breathtaking spot in Athens on the advice of Onassis Culture, which co-produced the project.

The universe of the GENER8ION project takes place in the near future (2034), in a disillusioned and damaged world; with puzzling poetry embodied by idle youth and underlying violence. However, it is not post-apocalyptic because the apocalypse, like the future, is already here.

The music video was introduced to the public in an original triptych format at the Musée de la Bourse de Commerce in Paris. Unpublished and exclusive clips from the shooting will be projected at the Onassis Stegi in Athens, from January 8, 2022. It is the first of a series of audiovisual contents mixing innovative formats and projections in unusual places. The installation at the Onassis Stegi will feature three audiovisual works, in their world premiere.

Credits

GENER8ION

Neo Surf featuring Shake 070

(Danielle Balbuena / Benoît Heitz)

(p) Iconoclast Music / 070 Shake appears courtesy of Getting Out Our Dreams, Inc. / Def Jam Recordings, a division of UMG Recordings Inc.

Directed by Romain Gavras

Co-produced by Iconoclast and Onassis Culture

Producer: Arnaud Le Méné

Director of Photography: Nicolas Loir

Focus Puller: Vincent Toubel

2nd Camera Assistant: Paul Bailleux

Drone Operators: Myron Mance, Stephan Van Zyl

Art Design: Arno Roth

Stylist: Nick Royal

Stylism: Alyx Studio

Executive Production: Akrobat Films

Executive Producer: Theodora Gourgouras

Production Manager: Babis Vlachodimitropoulos

First AD: Emmelia Chatziandreou

Location Manager: Giorgos Alexopoulos

Unit Manager: Nikos Filippakis

Make-up and Hair: Maria Vez

Jetfoil company: Takuma

Postproduction: Poster

Post Producer: Cyril Bordesoulle

Editors: Nicolas Larouquere, Walter Mauriot

Colorgrade: Mathieu Caplanne

VFX prod: Guillaume Marien

VFX sup: Yan Aldabe

Flame: Fred Brandon & Clement Germain

Casting: Ilan Guyot, Joris Ly, Djiby Kebe, Chloé Payen, Marguerite Thiam

Body Double: Théo Démanez, Clément Colmas, Léo Paul Etienne

Read More

Benoît Heitz, aka Surkin, is a musician, producer, DJ and artistic director who became renowned for his electronic music compositions and productions. He quickly rose to prominence in the new French electronic scene and has performed as a DJ in clubs and music festivals around the world, such as Coachella, Fuji Rock Festival and Ultra Music Festival. He also produces remixes for many artists, has launched the independent label Marbl, is involved at the initiative of several visual magazines (Unite or Perish, Gener8ion-zine), and composes and supervises the soundtracks for brands events and shows such as Alyx Studio, Paco Rabanne, Givenchy, Kenzo, and Louis Vuitton.

Romain Gavras is a French-Greek director born in 1981, son of the engaged film director Costa Gavras. His powerful and sometimes shocking imagery has often been the talk of the town and has highlighted his talents as a director. His versatility and ability to capture the spirit of the times allow him to create unforgettable films.

Romain Gavras’s work exudes a raw and compelling energy. He films his characters with an uncompromising eye that sublimates their differences. He’s passionate about authentic and unusual characters and always ends up creating unique images. Each of his films is an event. His music video "Gosh" for Jamie XX was a phenomenon, winning a Golden Lion at the Cannes Lions Festival in 2016. After his first feature film titled “Our Day Will Come” (2010), starring French actor Vincent Cassel, Romain directed “The World Is Yours” (2018) with legendary actress Isabelle Adjani, Vincent Cassel, Karim Leklou, and François Damiens. The film was presented at Cannes 2018 as part of the Directors' Fortnight and garnered several César nominations. He is currently working on his third feature film.

Read more about the video installation presented at Onassis Stegi, January 15, 2022

Gener8ion – Romain Gavras – Onassis Foundation