Niclas Gillis

Born and raised in Stockholm, Sweden, Niclas Gillis started studying film production in night classes at Stockholm University at age fifteen. He enrolled in a full time media high school a year later and soon directed commercials for a variety of Swedish companies. He spent his summer break from school working as a trailer producer for European television at Viasat in London, England, and had his first starring role as an actor in The Ape, directed by Jesper Ganslandt (official selection at the Venice and Toronto International Film Festivals), the following year. Since moving to New York at nineteen, Gillis went on to direct video content for companies like the New York Times, The Line Hotel, and Native Son, the last of which was compared to Pier Paolo Pasolini's Teorema by New York Magazine. He worked as a contributing writer on film for The Last Magazine and as a story analyst for Universal Pictures International. Between January 2014 and December 2016, Gillis wrote, directed, produced, and edited Hold Me Down, a narrative short film about a day in the life of a 19-year-old single mother who works as a stripper at an illegal nightclub to support her child in the South Bronx. The film is based on real events and features a cast of women survivors of sexual exploitation and domestic violence. "We wanted the women who live this life to have the opportunity to tell their own story, to raise awareness of the conditions that they face, and to show all those who suffer life in silence that they're not alone and that their story matters", Gillis says. Hold Me Down premiered to critical acclaim at the Gothenburg International Film Festival in January 2017. Through a partnership with Project Rousseau, it paved the way for the women involved to get out of prostitution and attain stability in their lives. In May 2017, Gillis directed the Nike "I, David" campaign featuring famed ballet dancer, David Hallberg. On their website, Nike wrote: "Gillis, a rising star within the film industry, promises to be the premiere talent to watch."