Scarlett Johansson fronts her third campaign for Prada Galleria, this time through the surreal lens of director Yorgos Lanthimos.
Prada once again turns to cinematic storytelling to reinterpret one of its most recognisable icons: the Galleria Bag. The house brings together an unprecedented collaboration between Scarlett Johansson, brand ambassador since 2023, and Academy Award-winning director Yorgos Lanthimos, who steps into the Prada universe for the very first time.
The campaign, titled ‘Ritual Identities’, unfolds as a visual journey steeped in symbolism and multiplicity. In the short film, Johansson embodies three different versions of herself across urban settings that may seem ordinary, but which Lanthimos transforms into dreamlike capsules where everything is encoded.
“This project was born from Yorgos’ imagination and the artistic chemistry we built together,” Johansson told WWD. “Rather than playing a character, it’s about expressing versions of myself in different contexts. The process of discovery is what makes any creative collaboration unique.”
The film first presents Johansson as an alchemical guru, offering a recipe for an impossible potion: morning breeze, rain from a blossomless cherry tree, whispers of deceased loved ones, and —as an optional element— the feather of a songbird. In the second act, she becomes the seeker of this formula, wandering through a metropolis in search of the ingredients, which she collects inside her Galleria Bag. The third and final version of the actress emerges from a metallic sphere, reborn as a new creature.
With this piece, Prada not only pays homage to the versatility of its most emblematic bag —introduced in 2007 in the house’s signature Saffiano leather— but also delves into themes of identity and transformation, so central to Lanthimos’ filmography.
The visual campaign, accompanied by stills shot by Lanthimos himself, marks a milestone for the brand: it is the first time the director has led branded content, staying true to his distinctive aesthetic reminiscent of films such as ‘The Favourite’, ‘Poor Things’ and ‘Kinds of Kindness’. Prada and Lanthimos share a fascination for the unsettling, the performative, and the beauty hidden within the disquieting.
Johansson, meanwhile, has just presented her directorial debut ‘Eleanor the Great’ at Cannes, where she wore a range of Prada looks throughout the festival circuit. “This campaign isn’t about showing off a handbag. It’s about exploring who we are when no one is watching,” she concludes.
Available in multiple versions each season, the Galleria Bag once again affirms itself not only as a luxury product, but also as a platform for visual expression —reaching its most cinematic dimension to date in this collaboration.
