Resident at Berlin’s iconic house music temple Panorama bar for nearly a decade, and a core member of the Female:Pressure group—a global network connecting women in electronic music—English DJ and producer Cassy has long battled for women’s visibility within the predominantly male dance scene, in and out of the booth.
For the first release from the producer’s debut album, Donna, London-based director Reza Dolatabadi ran with the theme of female unity, bringing together a mysterious group of women in an intense dance-off. “Almost 90% of the performance is improvised,” says Dolatabadi, who shot the handheld footage entirely on Double X 16mm stock with no artificial light. “My brief to the dancers was to think of a situation that could make you very sad, angry or happy and work it out in your performance.”