When it comes to striking metaphors, a wrecking ball crashing through a traditional financial institution is on the top tier. And then there were the steamroller flattening a payments screen and a wrench crushes a smartphone (symbolising account opening delays). The Airwallex campaign was Photoplay’s first job with director, Gustav Bondeson, and fair to say, it earned him a spot among the world-class creators on its roster.

“Gustav was such an excellent director across every small detail, and a brilliant collaborator with the creatives, Sian [Binder] and Lea [Egan], at Special – it was a no brainer to sign him,” stated Oliver Lawrance, Photoplay executive producer.

For Bondeson, the thrill of challenging himself and trying something new was an drawcard. But then he is also drawn to witty dialogue, deadpan humour, unique characters and a grand cinematic universe. Having said that, Bondeson’s rise as a director includes the drama, Wasteland, the story of a man reminiscing over the phone about the broken relationship he has failed to process. It won the prize for Best Drama at CineYouth Film Festival, was screened at the Chicago International Film Festival 2019 and was selected for the National Film festival For Talented Youth [NFFTY] in Seattle. A youth-culture short about friendship that premiered on Vice, was also a formative episode in the evolution of this rising star, as well as the short film, Far From Now, the story of two up-and-coming actors who find themselves in a world that increasingly resembles the film that they are soon to be part of.

Bondeson intends, or hopes, not to become put into one box. He grew up in a small town in Sweden, with not much to do or see. This, he attributes as the trigger for his passion in filmmaking as well as his relentless curiosity, and for his fascination with i films that put characters with everyday feelings into cinematic and heightened worlds.

Airwallex, was “made for him”, a risk-taking company with smashing category tropes in its DNA and an appreciation of humour, he adds. The company had already given Special Group a lot of freedom in creating the campaign concept, so it felt natural for him to push the campaign films even further into the cinematic world. Venturing into humour, which has become part of what Bondeson does with finesse, was a revelation for the director. A turning point for him, he says, making him soften a very serious approach to every project, changing how he approached them. “Whether it’s a commercial, a music video, or a short film, I’ve realised that every story needs a touch of humour. Without it, the life disappears. That mindset has really shaped me, and it definitely carried through to the Airwallex project,” he noted.

Here is the Airwallex work that cemented Photoplay’s relationship with Gustav Bondeson:

View Bondeson’s commercials work for IBM, Zalando, Spotify and others here.