Diyala Muir

COMING SOON

The peace of a secluded society is disrupted by the sudden arrival of a mysterious object, a pair of red shoes. Zindy, a creative and observant member of the community, is particularly drawn to them, and soon takes the shoes for herself. Once worn, they spring to life and drag Zindy away from her family, dancing for days. Exhausted and hopeless Zindy takes a desperate measure, unknowingly uncovering a huge secret and an even bigger threat to her planet’s existence. In this modern interpretation of the classic fairy tale ‘The Red Shoes’ our protagonist fights for her own agency, throughout a symbolic journey which should resonate with anyone who has either chosen or been forced to perform femininity within a structure intent on control. ‘Red Shoes’ aims to re-centre the narrative, and asks whether true freedom is achievable on an individual and a societal level.

The idea for ‘Red Shoes’ was initially conceived as a sequel to ‘Blue Hands,’ which ends with the protagonist lost in the woods. I wanted her to find her way home. During development of the narrative this evolved to become a spiritual sister film rather than a direct continuation. Where ‘Blue Hands’ was about inertia, ‘Red Shoes’ is about action. This film was funded and supported by the British Film Institute and produced by Girls in Film.

Official music video for Declan McKenna (2019)

Norman and Betty begin a long distance relationship that quickly turns obsessive. Their co-dependency leads to mutually assured destruction via two cats and some heart-shaped balloons.

This music video was commissioned by Sony Music UK and produced by Girls in Film, for Declan McKenna’s B-side re-release of ‘Brew’ on Record Store Day. I created the narrative by focusing on the core idea of this self-destructive couple who try to replicate each other’s lives in order to feel closer to the other person. I wanted to show their longing and obsession through every day objects and routines. The concept images below show how the characters and narrative were formed during pre-production.

Visuals for Frank Wajda’s track ‘Rodeo’ (2019)

This was animated straight ahead as a stream of consciousness, I wanted to create a dream-like state of flow. I then printed out each frame - 8 on an A4 page - stitched the pages together with electrical tape, coloured them with felt tips and crayons, painted the backgrounds, and scanned them back in again. This created several cycles I could loop and play with - I liked the idea of using repetition for this track as a visual play on the phrase ‘not my first rodeo.’

In an abstract journey about grief and denial a woman tries to escape the ghosts of her past, but they catch up to her on a night-bus to Nowhere.

Blue Hands (2017) was supported through the STOP PLAY RECORD programme at the ICA in London, in partnership with Dazed and Channel 4. Blue Hands aired on series 5 of Random Acts and screened at festivals including Encounters and the London International Animation Festival.

Pencil and paint on paper.

Graduation film from the Royal College of Art (2016)

An anxious young woman makes her way through Brixton market. Memory and fantasy slowly weave themselves into the chaotic street scene, engulfing her into a sinister world of talking fish, weeping sunflowers and a suspiciously haunting grin.

For my graduation film I wanted to build an abstract narrative going in and out of the protagonist’s fantasy world while she walks through a busy market scene. She is anxious and going over the events of the party the night before, so every stare from a stranger or a weirdly shaped object is heightened to some bizarre status. I built this film by collecting some personal poems, memories, and many many drawings from time spent at various farmers markets around London. You can see some of these below.

Pencil and paint on paper

First year film, Royal College of Art (2015)

‘Never Ever Even Seen’ was actually my second attempt at my first year film, as I failed the first time around. This failure forced me to look at my reality more carefully and build a whole new narrative from a rather humbled place. I took a poem I had written about an unrequited crush I was experiencing at the time, and subverted the dynamic by basing it around a lonely old man in a cafe. I used a heavy, dull, overly-detailed voiceover to enhance the banality of the scene as well as to build up a crescendo of tension until the underwhelming reality crashes; it had been in his head all along.

Pencil and paint on paper.