Director Maxime Davenport has joined the family at 7 Films. Maxime is no stranger to the commercial industry with over a decade’s experience in various aspects of filmmaking. What gives Maxime her edge is the fact that she didn’t ever take a shortcut to becoming a full-time director. Initially trained as a DOP, Maxime went on to cut her teeth as an editor and has put in her time as a researcher for the top directors in South Africa. She did all this while building up her own director’s reel. With her arsenal of experience, Maxime joins 7 Films as a full-time commercial director drawn to their extensive experience with technical boards, impressive car spots and passion for performance-based storytelling.

When working with Maxime, you’ll quickly realise she has her finger on the pulse of sub-cultures, music and fashion, something that is reflected in a lot of work. Her obsession with the nuts and bolts of filmmaking combined with this point of view on pop culture and aesthetics makes for a filmmaker armed with an impressive toolkit and one of the reasons why the folks at 7 Films were drawn to her.

‘From the moment I met Maxime I knew she was a true filmmaker. She’s incredibly smart and we were immediately taken by her technical abilities and knowledge as a director but also her eye for visual storytelling. I love when directors explore multiple avenues of filmmaking and I think it always improves the craft,’ Says 7 Films Executive Producer Nina van Rensburg.

Since joining 7 Films, Maxime hit the ground running and she and 7 Films Director (and car fanatic), Lourens van Rensburg have already worked on a project together, you guessed it, a car spot! She has also just wrapped on a big alcohol campaign for Joe Public (out soon).

Maxime’s traditional entry into filmmaking saw her train as DOP while researching for the likes of Keith Rose, Greg Gray and Adrian de sa Garces, to name a few. ‘Researching is where I fine-tuned my instincts as a director, learning so much about storytelling, integrity and the importance of an eye for detail. I think research first broke me, haha, and then helped mould me into the director I eventually became,’ says Maxime.

While part of the roster at We Are_, the company saw a lot of beauty and fashion briefs, which explains why we saw a lot of this kind of work on her reel. She says, ‘I somehow found myself shooting a lot of this kind of work, which allowed me to flex my own aesthetic and stylistic sensibilities. And although it’s not necessarily the kind of work I am chasing, I think it’s a visual storytelling muscle that got a great workout.’ Maxime brings a strong dreamlike romantic approach to her fashion and beauty work. Below are a few stills from her films.

From Maxime’s commercial work for FILA

 From Maxime’s fashion film ‘Lonely Cowboy’ for designer Blünke.

From Maxime’s music video for Amy Ayanda ‘Beginners’

With Maxime’s blend of filmmaking skills and the expert production backing of 7 Films, she should definitely be on your pitch radar!

Wanna (s)talk some more? 7 Films on IDIDTHAT and Company Website.