Niyadre on Making Films That “Spark Conversation While Remaining Artistically Bold”

For Niyadre, filmmaking has always been about creating immersive worlds that feel both visceral and deeply human.

From the BFI-funded short ‘Beyond the Rush’, which spotlighted Caribbean culture in his hometown of Luton screening at Parliament and the BFI London Film Festival, to music videos and atmospheric brand work, his career has been defined by bold, conversation-starting storytelling.

Now, as he joins Form’s roster, Niyadre is ready to expand into new spaces – fashion, sport, and beyond – while staying rooted in the documentary sensibilities and cinematic flair that have shaped his signature.

We sat down with him to talk about why Form felt like the right fit, the projects that accelerated his journey, and what he’s most excited to create next.

LBB> You’ve recently signed with Form – what inspired that decision? What was it about Form’s ethos, support structure, or reputation that felt like the right creative home for you now?

Niyadre> I have been looking for a commercial home for the past few months that truly prioritises creativity and places its directors at the heart of the company. After speaking with Dave and Jonathan it was clear that their ethos is about nurturing talent, supporting growth, and ensuring directors work on projects that genuinely resonate with them was important to them. I really appreciated their time to go through the work with detail and carefully decipher my strengths and skills to bring projects to life in my own tone of voice. They recognised the trajectory of my career and skills and knew which type of briefs would suit me and grow me as a director.

Jade 'Before You Break My Heart'

LBB> What kinds of content are you most excited to create under Form’s banner? Are there new formats, genres, or themes you're keen to explore that align with your evolving creative vision?

Niyadre> I’m drawn to commercials that push my creativity beyond what I’ve already produced, particularly within the worlds of fashion and sport. These spaces have been personal goals of mine, so I can have the chance to develop immersive brand worlds that fall within my textured, poetic style while challenging me to explore new ways of creating. I’d love to incorporate VFX and SFX to expand my storytelling, enhancing the cinematic quality of my work without losing the core of my visual language. The fashion and sport world has huge ties to the music video world that I could easily draw from to make new pieces of work exciting and current.

LBB> Did you always know you wanted to be a director, particularly in advertising and film? Were there any defining early projects or moments that drew you toward directing?

Niyadre> I always knew I wanted to do something within the art or pop culture world but only when I decided to take the leap to do music videos for the first time, I knew then this would be my life. The idea of creating worlds around music artists or a brand has always drawn me but I never knew how to achieve it. After trials and errors, I found my style through using my 16mm camera for the first time and everything started to make sense. I built a distinct style and body of work from that.

LBB> Looking back across your body of work – which includes the atmospheric perfume ad ‘Taboo’ and the documentary ‘Beyond the Rush’ – is there one piece that you feel most transformed or accelerated your career? How did it change your trajectory?

Niyadre> The key work that caught the industry’s attention definitely started with the creative direction with indie artist BINA. We created four covers and seven mini music videos that lived on instagram only. Each concept was unique and visually striking and grabbed thousands of people’s attention industry wide. The consistency and quality of work was perfect at a time where short-form content for artists started to shift using iPhones for visual content and instead, used high-end equipment. From the creative direction role brought in new clients such as JADE and EVE. It displayed and established my range of abilities in film making and tastes in several mediums, photography, 16mm and digital.

'Beyond The Rush' trailer

LBB> Which piece of your own work are you most proud of – and why? What about it best represents your creative voice, technique, or storytelling ambition?

Niyadre> My short ‘Beyond The Rush’, funded by the BFI, explores the demise of Caribbean culture in my home town of Luton. It was an honour to tell the story of my rich Caribbean culture for my home town and was incredible to tell it in such a vibrant way, through beautiful 16mm vignettes, no archive footage and compelling interviews. It displayed and established my voice as a director and solidifies the type of director I am. It affirmed the kind of work I want to create, films that spark conversation while remaining artistically bold. The short was screened in the Houses of Parliament and shown to group of MPs which sparked important conversation for change surrounding the dying need for cultural safe spaces such as youth clubs and carnivals. The film won best breakout award at Bute Street Film Festival and is currently having its London premiere at BFI London Film Festival in October. A milestone achievement and a catalyst to tell more compelling and personal stories with an imaginative twist.

LBB> Right now, what stories or projects are you most drawn to? Are there particular subjects, perspectives, or experiences you're eager to bring to screen next?

Niyadre> I am super interested in having a visual voice in the commercial world within fashion right now. I believe my work has the ability to transcend strongly into fashion with the ability to use my skills picked up from documentary film making. The ability to display realness in a world where it’s becoming hard to tell what’s real or fake is something that’s needed at the moment and I’d love to bring the documentary style of advertising back to its heights. I’d like to continue exploring other areas of my identity through more short films that explore queerness and masculinity by creating stories that are also raw, vivid, with a bit of surrealism.