Fresh off his surreal, symbol-rich music video for Patta x Nike, the multi-hyphenate creative Baloji has joined the growing roster of directors at PRETTYBIRD for representation in the U.S. and U.K.
Born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and raised in Belgium, Baloji is an artist in motion who brings an inspired vision and striking cinematic poetry to the nest. Baloji is currently in development on his second feature film, as well as a TV series with A24.
A director, poet, rapper, singer, and songwriter, Baloji embodies varying artistic expressions to tell stories about belonging, identity, race, and culture. His debut feature film, Omen, premiered in 2023 at the Cannes Film Festival, where it won the New Voice Prize. It was also selected as the Belgian Academy Award submission, generating buzz within the industry. To accompany the Omen soundtrack, Baloji created “AUGURE: Infinite Trolling,” a visually stunning album from the perspective of the movie’s characters. The piece won “Best Special Visual Project” at the 2024 UKMVAs. Earlier his short film Zombies (2019) won numerous awards from being selected for the BFI London Film Festival to winning Short of the Year by MUBI, and Best Styling at the UKMVAs. Baloji was also selected as Creative of the Year by NOWNESS and shared the co-presidency of Cannes’ 2024 Camera D’or with Emmanuelle Beard.
Emily Rudge, managing director, PRETTYBIRD UK, said, “Having followed Baloji’s career for over six years, now I am so excited to be representing him at PRETTYBIRD. He is a true creative force, a polymath–one of a kind! From putting his talent to music, writing or directing – he does it all and with such originality. I can’t wait to see what beautiful work we create together.”
Baloji shared, “It is a great honor to work with PRETTYBIRD after years of collaborating with Emily Rudge, whose artistic sensitivity and loyalty to her collaborators I deeply admire. It was also a true pleasure to meet the U.S. teams and the legendary Paul Hunter. I value their straightforward, unpretentious vision, free from empty promises, a rare quality in this ever-evolving industry.”
Baloji has always experienced synesthesia, which enables him to express himself through vivid colors, shapes, and textures. In his creative imagination, things seem ordinary but soon turn magical, blurring the boundaries between the real and the imaginary. He is represented by Loveboat in Europe, excluding the U.K.
