zhel

12/07/2025

OK, you devilish creatures of July.
Sharing Portolan — a track from my unreleased 2004 album Happyend in the Lubberland, recorded in 2003 in London with Zenith Publishing in Cambridge, UK.
Originally written and performed for the opening of the Oprtalj Film Festival in 2000 — nearly 25 years ago now.

This version drifts into proggy electronica territory — spacier, a little more twisted — compared to the quieter, more ’60s-cinematic original. I might return to it someday in the future. In the meantime: give it a spin!

Shoutout to Suvi Leukumaavaara — her vision for a cover that never happened still haunts the track in the best way.

from the album Happyend In The Lubberland

03/07/2025

https://medium.com//thompson-i-odjeci-nacije-metastaza-jednog-mita-fea769d93534

Postoji onaj neugodni trenutak kad glazbenik komentira drugog — obično završi kao pasivno-agresivna ljubomora u A-molu. No, ovo nije…

17/06/2025

The latest project, Trust No Thought Of Mine (2023–2025), is now available on the website. Private viewing only.

https://zhel.net/video.html

24/05/2025

20/05/2025

I made The Soup in the midst of the second lockdown in London — the most inhumane, Orwellian experience I’ve ever lived through. And I’ve been through the Yugoslavian war, one way or another.

There was something inescapable about being forced to think only in micro terms in order to comprehend the macro world — but I suppose we learned that lesson.

My mum was a lab trooper; she handled it better than most, and we spoke often on the phone. Given her advanced age and the uncertainty of Covid, I feared I might never see her again. I made this track around that time and released it on her 85th birthday in 2020.

No song is ever truly about one person, and this is no exception. Still, I had this image in mind — a motherly ship drifting through some kind of soup of our existence, a flux of consciousness.

Now, almost three months after her passing, I’ve found myself remembering the moment the song was conceived — and the imagery from that time, which pushed me to think in big, existential themes. So, I felt moved to share it here again.

The Soup'written and directed by Zhelrecorded in London and Pulaaudio mixed by Blackhillvideo by Zhelzhel.bandcamp.comzhel.net

06/05/2025

Peeps, you can find me on Spotify. Just type Zhel and look for these wrinkles.

https://open.spotify.com/artist/3SSg5pKBpUS59TwsA9bnuM?si=7DPgl-1XSFabnTO1A_MoCw

28/03/2025

I had the honor of judging some truly remarkable indie docs for the 2025 NYC Independent Film Festival earlier this year. I focused on works that push the boundaries of storytelling while staying grounded in the emotional resonance only cinema can deliver.

The 22nd edition of the festival runs June 1–7, 2025, at the Producer’s Club in Manhattan. Hope some of you get to catch the selection on the big screen!

16/03/2025

THE ATTRACTION OF MANOEUVRE (Zhel, 2013), part of One Minute Volume Seven (2013), curated by Kerry Baldry, is screening at CLOSE-UP, London, on 20th March at 8:15 PM.

Also, a little throwback—this film, along with five other shorts of mine, got archived at the BFI two years ago. So, if you're around, come check it out!

Kerry Baldry Close-Up Cinema

14/03/2025

Pleased to share that PUT ALL YOUR EGGS IN ONE BASKET has secured its place in the BEST EXPERIMENTAL FILM selection at the 22nd IN THE PALACE International Short Film Festival.
Appreciate the Selection Committee for taking a chance on it.

IN THE PALACE is an Oscar-qualifying festival, which makes this recognition all the more significant.

June 27-30, 2025. Palace of Culture, Pernik, Bulgaria. I’ll do my best to be there.
Featuring the remarkable Buddleia Maslen as ‘Beatrice,’ PUT ALL EGGS IN ONE BASKET exists within the shifting architecture of my modular project, TRUST NO THOUGHT OF MINE, which premiered November 26, 2024, at The Garden Cinema, Covent Garden, London.

And the beat goes on.

https://inthepalace.com/en/news/n/best-experimental-film-category-official-selection-2025-22nd-in-the-palace?fbclid=IwY2xjawJCvBtleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHbiAvQ9Kn_Mx3blHSpOm5YQoycekTdYWn8RzwUUzAnP7EE6NsL9Z6wqOrA_aem_5arKf9tHtc_3VBkQ0bi-hw


IN THE PALACE International Short Film Festival

10/02/2025

They’re coming. Again. HERE THEY COME (Zhel 2020) will hit the screen at Chester International Film Festival 2025, part of One Minute Volumes—curated by the legendary Kerry Baldry.

Some of these films have found a home at BFI in recent years. This one’s a must-watch.

23 March 2pm

Kerry Baldry