French multimedia project GENER8ION has released its new single and video “Love & Tears”, the title track from the band's latest album featuring Yannis Philippakis, frontman of Foals. The video is directed by Romain Gavras and stars Academy Award-winning actress Charlize Theron.
Unlike many of Gavras’ large-scale and provocative productions, “Love & Tears” relies on a minimalist yet deeply affecting visual concept. The camera remains fixed on Charlize Theron’s face as a spectrum of emotions unfolds, creating a powerful visual narrative that perfectly complements the song’s cinematic and melancholic atmosphere.
GENER8ION is the collaborative project of producer Surkin and Romain Gavras, artists known for blending music, film and visual art into immersive audiovisual experiences. Their work consistently transcends the boundaries of the traditional music video, and “Love & Tears” continues that creative vision.
An additional layer of interest comes from Gavras’ family background. Romain is the son of legendary Greek-French filmmaker Costa-Gavras, one of the most influential directors in European cinema. Costa-Gavras gained worldwide recognition through acclaimed political films such as Z, Missing and State of Siege, works celebrated for their powerful social and political commentary.
Despite growing up in one of cinema’s most respected families, Romain forged a distinctive artistic identity of his own. He became internationally renowned through collaborations with artists including M.I.A., Justice, Jay-Z, Kanye West and Jamie xx, directing some of the most visually striking music videos of the past two decades.
In “Love & Tears”, that cinematic heritage can be felt in a particularly elegant way. Rather than relying on spectacle, Gavras focuses on emotion, atmosphere and human presence, creating a work that succeeds equally as a music video and as a short piece of visual art.
