The Parisian director’s visual flair attracts big music artists—and pop star girlfriends

Donnie Kwak He is much cooler than anyone in his videos,” says Bono of director Stéphane Sednaoui. Indeed, the 42–year–old Frenchman may be as famous for his pop star exes (Bj?rk and Kylie Minogue) as he is for crafting iconic music videos for Red Hot Chili Peppers (“Give It Away”), U2 (“Mysterious Ways”) and Alanis Morissette (“Ironic”). But Sednaoui is no MTV hack—he is a true artiste. Nineteen of his videos (and the aforementioned Bono quip) are featured on Sednaoui’s Directors Label DVD, one of four new volumes that Palm Pictures is releasing in September.

“Music videos are an experimental field for a lot of future directors,” says Sednaoui. “For me, dadaism and surrealism movies are the pre—music videos. We’re all about fantasy.”

Sednaoui began his career as a photographer in his native Paris, working in fashion and advertising. Known for capturing dynamic movement and beautifully stark imagery, it was natural for Sednaoui to move into music videos. After relocating to New York in 1991, Sednaoui broke through with the frenetic black–and–white clip for “Give It Away.” Soon after, Sednaoui became a go–to director for daring, visually arresting videos, including his most personal project, the video for Björk’s “Possibly Maybe,” a song she wrote about their broken relationship. Says Sednaoui: “It is an homage to something that was very important.”

Sednaoui hasn’t directed a music video (or watched MTV) in nearly six years, but he continues to work in advertising through Mister Boomboom, his Manhattan–based production company, and has several art projects and books in development. His ultimate goal is to bring his unique vision to the big screen. “If you’re going to use the medium of cinema, it’s not just to recreate,” he says, pausing for effect. “It’s to create.”

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