Los Angeles, CA, December 15, 2025 — Emerald Pictures proudly announces the signing of director Rodney Passé, a filmmaker celebrated for blending cultural depth, visual precision, and emotionally resonant storytelling. With over 15 years of experience creating films and campaigns for global brands and influential artists, Passé brings a singular creative voice to Emerald’s roster.
Passé has built a career turning lived experience into cinematic narrative, shaping work for Apple, Google, Gucci, Cadillac, and Nike while collaborating with artists including SZA, Westside Gunn, Earl Sweatshirt, and J. Cole. His films are known for transforming everyday life into visual poetry, rooted in cultural specificity and an instinctive sense of beauty. Rather than delivering a message, his work invites viewers into intimate worlds where emotion, clarity, and intention guide the storytelling.
Most recently, Passé directed Inner Worlds: Thelma Golden, a short film created in partnership with Art Basel and premiering on NOWNESS. Produced by Emerald Pictures, the project marked the first collaboration between the company and Passé. Filmed inside the Studio Museum in Harlem’s newly reopened, purpose-built home, the piece offers a rare, contemplative portrait of Thelma Golden, the museum’s director and chief curator. Through Passé’s assured direction, the film weaves together history, art, and collective memory to illuminate Golden’s vision for a space that continues the institution’s legacy of centering artists of African descent and serving as a cultural anchor for Harlem.
Passé’s signing represents a natural evolution of this creative partnership and underscores Emerald Pictures’ mission to champion filmmakers whose work bridges artistry, culture, and purpose. The company’s collaborative model aligns closely with Passé’s creative philosophy and his dedication to exploring the emotional and human dimensions of storytelling.
“Emerald Pictures is a home for filmmakers who want to push the form while honoring the soul of storytelling,” says Passé. “My work is about exploring human connection and showing us something about ourselves. Joining Emerald feels like an invitation to keep expanding that vision with partners who understand the power of narrative to move people.”
Emerald Pictures’ co-founder Mara Milićević adds, “I know Rodney as a friend from years ago, so reconnecting now, as our creative paths come together, feels especially meaningful. Rodney brings extraordinary vision and sensitivity to every project he touches. His work is cinematic and deeply human…deeply “Rodney”. He embodies the spirit of collaboration and curiosity that defines Emerald, and we are thrilled to partner with and support him, as he enters the next chapter of his career.”
Emerald Pictures is an agile, globally connected production company passionately focused on visual storytelling. Nimble by design, with a depth of experience and expertise, Emerald Pictures is a trusted creative partner for top brands like Nike, Lucid, PepsiCo, Apple, Bacardi, Ad Council, and Kellogg’s.
