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In celebration of the arrival for #GigiJournalPartII, V Magazine along with the help of artist Maha Alamri (@designsbymaha) presents an animated tribute to discovery and imagination, set to electronic duo Daft Punk’s 2000 banger, “One More Time”. Daft Punk’s cosmic, French-house hit was a watershed moment for the mainstreaming of electronic music, completely reinventing and defining a new millennium. Anchoring the acclaimed album #Discovery, the track and this reinterpretation, created by Maha who joined our creatiVity initiative by entering her work for the Gigi Journal artist search, serves as an embodiment of musical and artistic innovation 20 years on.

In an exclusive interview with V, the artist talks about the creative process behind the short film and how she managed to connect the two storylines, with 20 years in between.

V Magazine: So tell us a little bit about yourself!

Maha Alamri: My name is Maha Alamri, I’m 23-years-old and from Saudi Arabia, and I’m starting my master’s [degree program] at Maryland University this fall! I just completed my bachelor’s degree in interior architecture and design.

V: Can you tell us a little bit about your animations? In a few sentences: How did you get started?

MA: I started illustrating about 10 years ago when I started watching Japanese anime. I love drawing characters and short comic stories as a hobby. And I always dreamed of illustrating and producing my own animation. So in a way, this was like a childhood dream come true!

V: Can you tell us about the inspiration for this animation?

MA: I was inspired by the original “One More Time” music video by Daft Punk. I wanted to pay homage to the ‘80s anime style, which is viewed as something nostalgic. I’m also very fascinated by outer space and keeping that theme going was something I purposely wanted. I wanted to bring the feeling of childhood imagination in the video, and flying whales symbolize the freedom of creativity. So I thought that would reflect well with the Gigi Journal.

V: What was your technique or process around forming a narrative around Daft Punk’s single “One More Time”?

MA: I had to revisit the original storyline of the music video and go from there. In the original video, there’s an open-ended story where the inhabitants of the planet are captured. So I wanted to build on that story 20 years later, where Gigi [Hadid] gets transported to that planet and goes on an enchanted adventure, where creative freedom allows her to fly through space. During these difficult times and being stuck in the same routine can drag us down. And I guess breaking from that routine, even for a night and letting your imagination run free, can make a difference. So at the end of this video, when Gigi wakes up to reality, I wanted to bring her dreams to life and show that just because dreams are intangible, doesn’t mean they aren’t real. They’re made of memories, imagination, and hope.

V: How did it feel to be approached by V to create this short film for the Gigi Journal?

MA: I think right now I’m starting to grasp what’s happening! It was a surreal feeling being approached to create the video. I was so excited. I started brainstorming and sketching immediately. I’m very happy to be part of the journal and very thankful to Gabriele and the entire team for being so supportive. Especially during these difficult times, it felt like a ray of hope. So this was a great stepping stone for me and I hope to be part of more projects in the future.

Watch the entire short film here: