Mona Fastvold, the Norwegian director and screenwriter, is known for her work on visually striking films.
She directed “The Testament of Ann Lee,” a musical biopic about the woman who founded the Shaker community in the United States, which has been described as “otherworldly.” And Ms. Fastvold was a writer of “The Brutalist,” the period architectural drama that won three Oscars last year and that has been described as “visually sumptuous.”
In addition to working on recent feature-length films, Ms. Fastvold, 45, has also brought her sensibility — which she described in an interview as “feminine and slightly feminist” — to shorter ones produced by fashion brands. “Regardless of what it is, if it’s a short project or if it’s a feature film,” she said, “It’s always ambitious.”
Ms. Fastvold made a short film about clothing and identity that the Italian label Miu Miu released in February. And a new fashion video directed by Ms. Fastvold and Brady Corbet, her creative and romantic partner, will be released on Sunday during the broadcast of this year’s Academy Awards ceremony (“The Testament of Ann Lee” was shut out of the awards, receiving no nominations.)
The three-minute video, for Tiffany & Company, stars Natalie Portman and takes viewers into a polished slice of the actress’s life. In a conversation that has been edited and condensed, Ms. Fastvold spoke about her approach to filmmaking and how cinematic fashion advertisements fit into it.
What types of stories inspire you as a filmmaker?
As a writer, I write a lot of different things. I feel like I’ve written a lot about people who have impossible projects — László Tóth in “The Brutalist,” Ann Lee in “The Testament of Anne Lee.” Their struggles sort of mimic the artist experience. They’re a bit of a mirror to my own experience as an independent filmmaker.
I’m drawn to strong female characters. I’m drawn to epic stories. I’m less drawn, in my own writing and in directing, to very intimate stories. You know, stories about relationships and motherhood, and stories that take place inside the home and the house.
As a maker of independent feature films, what draws you to the fashion-film category?
It’s a place where I really get to play. You can test out and try things that are technically challenging or new because it is usually a space where people are open to that — if you want to do a really complicated shot where you have to create a device to achieve that, for example. It’s a place where you can be quite free in your form.
With most fashion films, a brand is trying to sell you something. How do balance your artistic vision with that commercial goal?
You don’t, really. Ultimately, it’s an advertisement. You can make it as beautiful and as artful as you can, and use it as an opportunity to perhaps discover something technically or creatively that excites you. Whatever you do, you leave your print on it. But it’s not about you at all.
What makes a great fashion film?
For me, with a piece of clothing or an object, it’s about just looking at that and letting that guide you to the story, instead of trying to tell a story where you have to sort of add in the clothes.
What is the story that this specific thing is telling you? What is it that the creator of that is trying to do? What are their thoughts and ideas behind the collection or the object that they created? It’s about letting that speak and then building everything around it.
Is this a space you want to continue to play in?
I love doing really visual, short-form work. I started out doing music videos. It’s just creatively freeing and fun to be in that space, if it makes sense. To collaborate with an incredible fashion designer or, you know, have access to archive pieces would be wonderful. Fashion is art, as well.
Yola Mzizi is a reporter for the Styles section and a member of the 2025-2026 Times Fellowship class, a program for journalists early in their careers.
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