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SOUP welcomes director Anastasja Black
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With a background that spans nearly every role on set, from runner to editor, gaffer to producer, Black’s directing is grounded in a deep, practical understanding of craft.
SOUP welcomes director Anastasja Black to its Friends & Family roster, expanding its lineup with a bold new voice in commercial and music video filmmaking.
With a background that spans nearly every role on set, from runner to editor, gaffer to producer, Black’s directing is grounded in a deep, practical understanding of craft. Her path began in London while studying fashion, where she picked up a camera and started documenting street life, laying the foundation for her instinct-driven, visually charged style.
Today, her work is defined by dynamic pacing, striking compositions, and a strong pull from youth culture. Fast cuts, bold imagery, and a sense of immediacy run through her films, creating work that feels as alive as it looks.
A standout example is her recent self-initiated fashion film for Berlin-based brand Haderlump, which earned multiple award nominations, including Best Composition at the Berlin Commercial / DWP Awards and has just won silver in the category fashion at 1.4 festival. The project began simply, with a conversation over coffee between Black and DoP Greta Conte about creating something meaningful for their portfolios. Haderlump, with its blend of underground techno and refined fashion, quickly became the natural fit.
What followed was a highly collaborative process shaped as much by constraints as by vision. With support from SOUP’s Isa Waschke, executive producer Martin Richter and producer Minou Berg the project rapidly evolved from idea into production. Initial concepts, featuring a meadow, a horse, and minimal staging, gave way to something more ambitious as real-world challenges pushed the team to rethink.
Locations shifted from expected landscapes to a surreal staircase structure and a stark car park, elevating the film’s visual identity. Casting came together through instinct and last-minute pivots. Just days before the shoot, the initial horse withdrew at the last minute, only for the situation to resolve itself on the day with a perfect replacement. Rather than setbacks, these moments became turning points.
“Every challenge forced us to sharpen the idea,” Black reflects. “It made the final film stronger than what we first imagined.”
The Haderlump project captures what defines Black’s approach: trusting the process, embracing unpredictability, and building work through collaboration. It’s this mindset, paired with a clear and contemporary visual voice, that makes her a natural fit for SOUP.
Now part of the roster, Black continues to develop work that is not only visually striking, but culturally tuned and emotionally immediate.
