Christelle de Castro is a commercial director, photographer & fine artist based in New York City. She is known for her iconic images of musicians, artists, and muses. Her photographs are uniquely raw & intimate, while her films lean toward themes of empowerment & community.
In 2020, Christelle co-founded film production company Ground Work, specializing in music videos & brand films, with offices in London, Bristol & New York. She heads up the NYC headquarters located in Bushwick. Clients of de Castro include Nike, Supreme, Calvin Klein, Coach, Samsung, Olay, and many more. She is currently working on a new portrait series centered on friends called Slam Book, which can be discovered on her Instagram @christelle_studio.
CHRISTELLE DE CASTRO
Just Say is a music video directed & produced by de Castro for her best friends, twin musicians; Coco & Breezy. It is a dance-centered film particularly honoring the genre of house. It is a window into Christelle's world, one that is eclectic, soulful, and celebrates the spectrum. This film was self funded by Christelle & the artists and made possible with the contribution of friends, both in front of the camera and behind the lens.
The video is fresh out of the editing studio and it puts us in a good mood while acknowledging the people directly involved with creating cultures that play a large role in defining the American Girl globally. Usually such artists are often not credited for their work and influences. It’s so exciting to see folx producing their own work and for their people before someone takes it away from them.
AYANNA DOZIER
SOFTER, 2020
Softer examines the demands of "softening" that are requested of Black women's bodies in society---from job prospects to romantic ones---be that in their voice, their manners, and, critically, their hair. The experimental short plays upon the grooming rituals of softening that are terrifyingly rough through a recreation of a permanent wave machine produced perm (popular in the 1930s-1950s). The short mediates on the historical ways in which Black women have tried to answer this demand on softness through respectable appearance and behavior.
CHRISTINE YUAN
HOYEON AS THE INTERNATIONAL WOMAN OF MYSTERY, 2022
KASEY ELISE WALKER
HOOP DREAMS, 2021
The short film explores the vibrant colors of South LA through the eyes of Savannah Walker, an 8 year-old, African American girl who idolizes her mother’s resilient strength and mystical, golden hoop earrings. Walker's fear of speaking publicly in poetry class leads her to steal her mother's hoops with a belief that they'll help her overcome anything. Ultimately, her mother’s golden hoops transport her into a world beyond her greatest imagination.
KILO KISH
DEATH FANTASY — this song serves as the American Gurl album “manifesto”
It’s asking who we are beyond definitions, and beyond who we appear to be to ourselves, and others. I’ve struggled with this for a long time as I haven’t always fit neatly in any space so this song is actually a declaration of freedom in many ways.
KITTY CA$H
KITTY’S WORLD: GETTING TO THE MONEY, 2021
“Getting To The Money” by Kitty Ca$h invites viewers into the artist's mental landscape; through the 3D character, Kitty has an open discourse on achieving the American Dream through financial literacy and hip hop culture. This episode features live action guests featuring Aleali May, Amber Khan, ModernBlkGirl, and Beverly Beal.
LEILA JARMAN
THIS IS MARAWA, 2021
SARAH NICOLE FRANÇOIS
iGURL, 2022