Dark Nights is more than just a film—it’s a reflection of the emotional weight that often lives behind the glamour of the music industry.
With friends in the industry pushing him to take a leap he’d been discussing with his team for years, music video director and photographer Dragan Andic (The .97) is ready to embark on his film career. Introducing the honest and intimate Dark Nights by Dragan Andic, premiering this summer, in collaboration with Roy Woods and OVO.
Dark Nights is based on the true story of Roy Woods’ love life. “[OVO] don’t usually approve stuff like that,” Andic shared, “but they ended up giving us the green light to do that, and then we went straight into production about a month ago.” When he and Woods first discussed the concept, they weren’t looking at exclusively making something cinematic, but telling the truth, “the truth about love when you’re constantly on the move. The truth about trying to be vulnerable in a world that rewards detachment.”
I didn’t know when [the right] time was until I got presented with this opportunity.
While it may sound like a tricky subject to tell someone’s true story, Andic and Woods had been working together for years. But reliving a hard moment in time is never easy. “It was a big challenge for him,” Andic relayed on Woods getting comfortable with acting, “and he did it [well] because he had to relive a big moment in his life.”
With more creative control than usually permitted and trust in his collaborators, Andic and his team were ready to tell Woods’ story authentically. Andic shared that Woods’ story reminded him of films he enjoyed watching on his own. One film in particular that he recalled was Trey Edward Shults’ Waves (2019); “I immediately connected the dots [between Roy and Waves] and I was like, okay, cool, I always wanted to do a movie like this.” Unlike Waves, Andic did not lean into the romance aspect of the storyline but into the conflicts between each relationship presented. This is not a story to paint any person in a certain light; Woods wanted people to see his mistakes and own up to his decisions. While Andic directed Dark Nights, this film was still Woods’ story to tell—something important to both men. However, Andic is looking to gain more creative control with fictionalized stories in the future.
I can’t tell the future. I don’t know if we’ll be successful yet doing these films, so if it ends up being how we think it’s gonna be, then, naturally, we’ll transition into film.
“We didn’t focus too much on the cinematography, we focused more on storytelling,” which Andic revealed was a slight challenge in the shift to filmmaking. After premiering this film to a select group in New York, the audience shared that they were more interested in the storyline, which is quite a shift from how music videos are filmed and from the films Andic gravitates towards watching. He shared that “as a director, I’ve always been drawn to stories that sit in the grey—between fame and isolation, connection and distance.” An A24 fan, Andic has an appreciation for the quiet-plot-but-beautiful-cinematography style of film and, with Dark Nights, he strips away the filters and shows the moments that most people never get to see. Andic specifically noted his love of capturing the late-night fights, the missed calls, the ache of being close yet never fully understood. “Visually, we leaned into shadows,” he told us, “negative space, and long, quiet takes that let the emotion breathe.” The audience will truly get to sit with the emotions of each character, pleasant or not, throughout the film.
Along with the themes of pain and heartbreak touched on by Dark Nights, Andic and his team want to focus on the darker stories to tell, particularly something within the horror realm, already set with a storyline to develop. This desire to create sadder stories and his appreciation for beautiful visuals is explored through Melissa’s character, played by Bianca Foo.
However, any great storyline and piece of cinematography requires a great sound to accompany it. Dimi, Andic’s younger brother, had been working on their sound scoring since 2020 and scored this film by hand. “He knows what we like,” said Andic, “but we told him he had to up it a notch to be even darker [for Dark Nights].” Sonically, Woods’ EP was their foundation—each song guiding the tone, tempo, and transitions. Andic shared that collaborating with Woods again allowed him to merge music and narrative in a way that felt honest and personal.
In the next two years, I want to fully do films instead of music.
With a love for romantic and uneasy visuals, Andic gravitates towards the gothic genres and is excited for what’s to come following the premiere of Dark Nights. But, musicians fear not, this is not his exit from music videos. “We love doing it. It’s fast-paced and we love that,” Andic shared. So catch up on your sad films list and get ready for Dragan Andic’s debut with Dark Nights, premiering in June at TIFF Lightbox.
This film is for anyone who’s ever loved hard while chasing a dream. It’s for the artists, the partners, the ones who stayed, and the ones who left.
