Who: A darling of the indie film scene, the 32-year old Italian is a modern-day Federico Fellini. With a neorealist vision, her off-kilter female characters possess that unconventional beauty I seek in my models. And Miuccia Prada and Sofia Coppola dig her – enough said.

Watch: The quirky short film De Djess for Miu Miu’s Women’s Tales series last year features dresses washed ashore, before being saved by nuns and given new lives as celebrities.

Who: Known mostly as a commercial photographer, there’s something almost unnerving in the way LA-based de Wilde captures the gaze of her subjects. I try to replicate that same intensity when I focus on a model’s face in my own mini videos.

Watch: With a dreamy palette and lots of close-ups, her witty series of shorts for Prada last year depict a day in the life of a snoozing postman.

Who: This London-born and Berlin-based photographer/filmmaker knows how to capture a model on the move, making somewhat awkward positions look beautifully poetic.

Watch: With a gritty ’90s vibe, her film Legs Are Not Doors for Proenza Schouler’s Spring/Summer ’15 collection features the designer’s muses such as Chloe Sevigny and Binx Walton languidly posing while discussing topics like sensuality and colour.

Who: I love the creative treatment this Brit photographer/director gives his locations. It’s a talent to hone, especially when you’re strapped with limited places to shoot on our tiny island.

Watch: In his recent film for Gucci Cruise 2016, Luchford takes us through opulent rooms in a villa in outside Florence as models dance in slow-mo to Joy Division.

An adapted version first appeared in Female’s February 2016 issue.

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