Siren song and dance

PRETTYBIRD’s Jess Kohl directs this stunning black and white film set to scintillating music by Isobel Waller-Bridge, who’s composed a host of scores for film and TV, including her sister Phoebe’s show Fleabag. 

Filmed largely at London’s Royal Opera House, Siren is an intimate visual journey into Francesca Hayward’s relationship with ballet. 

In collaboration with choreographer Michael Montgomery and costume designer Simone Rocha, the director has created a haunting narrative that expresses the macabre origins of the ballets that captivated Francesca as a young child, bringing out a darker side to a dancer known for her grace, symphonic movements, and natural poise. 

Kohl commented: “It was a privilege to work with Francesca Hayward on my first dance film. We chose to shoot on 16mm black and white as we wanted to pay homage to the ballets that inspired Francesca in her childhood - she was drawn to macabre stories, and in Siren we want to represent the lesser known, darker side of the art form.”

The film was produced by Films.Dance, a global platform for dance creatively directed by Jacob Jonas The Company.