UKMVA-winning director Adrian Villagomez returns with a striking and thought-provoking video for Montreal-based rapper Skiifall.

Opening with a group of rioters lighting a bonfire in the middle of a church, the video for Yuteman Denis blends a dynamic performance with absorbing dramatic snapshots, focussing on a young boy becoming increasingly alienated with different aspects of his life within the grind of a tough inner city.

From the anonymous eye of a CCTV camera to his increasing disenchantment with the world at large, we see his journey through school and church, and his growing desire to break out of the system. When he plays with a lighter towards the end, the link with the controversial bonfire within the church is obvious. 

Meanwhile, Skiifall performs from the balcony of a Montreal high-rise, looking down on the boy. Having himself arrived in Canada from the Caribbean island of St Vincent as an eight year old, there's just enough suggestion this contains elements of the rapper's own story, without it distracting from the story itself.

This is a skilful, sensitive and really powerful portrayal of how a young life can drift into a downward spiral, succinctly told within the music video idiom. And its confirmation that Villagomez, who's video for Jean-Michel Blai's Passepied won Best Alternative Video International at last year's UKMVAs, is a director with huge promise in this or any other form of filmmaking.