Meet the Directors behind The House
As production on our stop-motion Netflix series charges on, we’re celebrating the immense directorial talent bringing these dark comedies to life. Find out more about the three exceptional voices in animation – Emma de Swaef & Marc James Roels, Niki Lindroth von Bahr and Paloma Baeza.
Marc & Emma
Marc & Emma bring a unique vision to storytelling by combining his live-action background with her adoration and skill in handcrafted storytelling. The Belgium based couple manage to create a particular kind of absurd humour and tenderness through their highly tactile and characterful puppets who can evoke laughter through a simple raise of an eyebrow. Their personal brand of stop-motion, puppeteering and live-action has earned them international critical acclaim.
The pair have a rich back catalogue of short film work including ‘This Magnificent Cake!’, ‘Oh Willy…’ and ‘Sugarman’, which has earned them numerous accolades including a Bronze Craft Lion for Animation, the coveted Cartoon d’Or and most popular Belgian ad of the year, to name a few.
Find more of Marc & Emma’s work here.
Niki Lindroth von Bahr
Niki Lindroth Von Bahr is a master craftswoman and artist, whose love of puppet making and set building is evident for all who encounter her film work. She brings her characters to life through the techniques of stop motion and puppetry, with a thread of dark humour running through all of her storytelling, hooking viewers from beginning to end.
Named one of Variety’s top 10 animators of the year, Niki’s award winning films, ‘Bath House’, ‘Tord & Tord’ and ‘The Burden’ have been screened at festivals around the world including Sundance, the Berlinale, Annecy and Cannes. Her fourth film ‘Something to Remember’ was recently named Best Film at Fantoche 2020.
Find more of Niki’s work here.
Paloma Baeza
Paloma Baeza draws on her acting and screenwriting background to develop captivating storylines starring furry puppets and subtle humour, while also collaborating with household names including Cillian Murphy and Helena Bonham Carter.
As a graduate of the National Film and Television School, Paloma developed her stop-motion and puppetry skills, with her animated short film ‘Poles Apart’ earning an Annie and a BAFTA. Named as one of the Variety Animators to Watch, Paloma was also credited with helming Alex Garland’s animation and live-action hybrid movie “The Toymaker’s Secret” for Sony Tristar and bringing the life and work of iconic Mexican artist Frida Kahlo to life in a new animated film currently in development with Universal Content Group.
Find more of Paloma’s work here.
