NEW YORK -- The National Board of Review has named writer-director Kenneth Lonergan’s Manchester by the Sea 2016’s Best Film of the Year, highlighting the organization’s selections for year-end honors. Manchester by the Sea also earned Lonergan the Best Original Screenplay honor, Casey Affleck the Best Actor Award, and Lucas Hedges distinction as delivering the Best Breakthrough Performance by a Male. Amy Adams took the Best Actress mantle for Arrival . Barry Jenkins was dubbed Best Director for Moonlight... Read More, Comment
BURBANK, Calif. -- The International Animated Film Society, ASIFA-Hollywood, announced nominations for its 44th Annual Annie Awards™ recognizing the year’s best in the field of animation. This year’s Best Animated Feature nominations are: Finding Dory (Pixar Animation Studios), Kubo and the Two Strings (Laika), Kung Fu Panda 3 (DreamWorks Animation), Moana (Walt Disney Animation Studios) and Zootopia (Walt Disney Animation Studios). Nominees in the Annies™ newest category, Best Feature-Independent, spotlighting... Read More, Comment
LOS ANGELES -- Jenny Slate reunites with her “Obvious Child” director in the ‘90s-set “Landline,” Sam Elliott plays a stoner Western film icon in “The Hero,” Aubrey Plaza gets serious in “Ingrid Goes West,” and Jennifer Aniston teams up with the future Han Solo, Alden Ehrenreich, in the Gulf War drama “The Yellow Birds” in some of the films in competition at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. The Sundance Institute on Wednesday unveiled its first batch of films set to premiere at the annual Park City-based... Read More, Comment
PARK CITY, Utah -- Now in its second decade of breaking new ground at the forefront of art and technology, Sundance Institute has curated an in-depth vision of storytelling’s future for the 2017 edition of New Frontier at the Sundance Film Festival, January 19-29 in Park City. The full slate — including storyworlds in Augmented Reality headsets, projection-mapped acrobatics, a VR beauty salon producing neuroscience data via the internet of things and a host of socialized, interactive and immersively haptic VR... Read More, Comment
LOS ANGELES -- Ridley Scott will receive the Directors Guild of America’s top honor, the Lifetime Achievement Award for Distinguished Achievement in Motion Picture Direction. “Masterful in any genre, Ridley’s groundbreaking methods and peerless directing instincts have brought to life some of the most memorable films of our time, capturing the resilience of the human spirit and captivating the hearts and minds of audiences around the world,” said Paris Barclay, president of the DGA. “Stunning visuals,... Read More, Comment
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Wes Anderson has directed a short holiday film starring Oscar-winner Adrien Brody for discount clothing retailer H&M. The short titled "Come Together" features Brody as a train conductor announcing a blizzard-induced delay that would cause passengers to miss part of the holiday. Brody's character saves the day by throwing a party for a young boy on board. The spot released Monday features John Lennon and Yoko Ono's holiday classic "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)." Brody has worked with the... Read More, Comment
CHICAGO -- DDB Chicago has brought Myra Nussbaum on board as sr. VP, group creative director. She will oversee creative for the brands under the Mars Wrigley Confectionery portfolio, reporting to John Maxham, DDB Chicago’s chief creative officer. Nussbaum has more than 15 years of industry experience, with an emphasis on brand advertising. She comes to DDB from FCB Chicago, where she served as sr. VP, creative director. During this time, she led a team of more than 20 creatives and worked on numerous... Read More, Comment
LOS ANGELES -- Bicoastal production company m ss ng p eces has added artist and director Ivan Cash to its roster of talent. Combining backgrounds in both art and technology, Cash is known for developing creative experiences that engage a mass audience and impact culture. Alongside experiential and independent projects, he has worked with high-profile brands, including Google, Coca-Cola, Facebook, and MTV to orchestrate memorable creative campaigns. Among his directorial credits are Airbnb’s “Drawing Strangers... Read More, Comment
NEW YORK -- Bicoastal production company Honor Society has signed comedy director Lucas Spaulding for his first U.S. commercial representation as a solo director. As an industry veteran with over two decades of experience in both production and post, he has lent his directorial talents to projects for brands such as Tech CU, Burger King and Honda. Spaulding’s signature comedic timing and ear for dialogue are informed by his extensive experience as an editor and span beyond branded work. His short crime... Read More, Comment
NEW YORK -- Production company Derby has added director Catherine Orchard to its roster, marking her first formal commercialmaking representation. Prior to this, she was freelancing. Orchard developed an eye for strong imagery in combination with wit and lyrical storytelling by beginning her career in the creative departments of various brands and magazines including Bobbi Brown, Alice + Olivia, JANE, Travel + Leisure, and VIBE. Most recently, she has been directing for LOFT, Teen Vogue, the Rubin Museum... Read More, Comment
NEW YORK -- Governor Andrew M. Cuomo rolled out Pitch NY, a workshop to provide aspiring filmmakers, producers and writers from across New York with resources and advice and connect with industry leaders to advance their careers. The event, hosted by the Governor’s Office of Motion Picture & Television Development and NBCUniversal Studios in collaboration with the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts, is the latest of New York State’s initiatives to promote the inclusion of diverse voices in the... Read More, Comment
BEIJING (AP) -- Differing Chinese and Western expectations over marriage provided the inspiration for Zhang Mo's directorial debut, "Suddenly Seventeen," which she says is about encouraging young women to "explore a little further" before they settle down. The daughter of Chinese cinematic great Zhang Yimou, Zhang said returning to China after years of study in the United States felt like "a reverse culture shock." Then 26 and viewing a life full of possibilities, Zhang was startled that people thought she... Read More, Comment
History, lately run amok, is ordered with such tidy, forceful finesse by Natalie Portman's Jacqueline Kennedy in in the piercing "Jackie." Summoning a journalist to Hyannis Port in 1963, not long after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, she coolly sets the record for her late husband's legacy, coining "Camelot" and shaping the mythology. Some details that don't fit the narrative she simply crosses out. "I don't smoke," she tells the Life magazine reporter (Billy Crudup), with a cigarette... Read More, Comment
There's never a hair out of place in "Miss Sloane ," a painstakingly slick political thriller from director John Madden about a brilliant lone wolf lobbyist consumed with the win. It's a wannabe Aaron Sorkin-meets-Shonda Rhimes glimpse into the hollow and cynical world of inside the beltway dealings from first-time screenwriter Jonathan Perera that's never quite snappy, insightful or salacious enough to be as fun or damning as it should be. All the pieces are there, especially in the film's... Read More, Comment
NEW YORK (AP) -- Grant Tinker, who brought new polish to the TV world and beloved shows including "Hill Street Blues" to the audience as both a producer and a network boss, has died. He was 90. Tinker died Monday at his Los Angeles home, according to his son, producer Mark Tinker. Though he had three tours of duty with NBC, the last as its chairman, Tinker was perhaps best-known as the nurturing hand at MTM Enterprises, the production company he founded in 1970 and ran for a decade. Nothing less than a creative... Read More, Comment
NEW YORK (AP) -- Football helped loft NBC to a ratings win last week, according to the Nielsen company. Its Thursday night clash between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Indianapolis Colts was the week’s most-watched show, scoring nearly 21 million viewers. The runner-up was NBC’s Sunday sportscast of the Kansas City Chiefs vs. the Denver Broncos, seen by 18.44 million viewers. But CBS was close behind with “60 Minutes,” ranked third with more than 17 million viewers, and, in fourth place, the seemingly... Read More, Comment
NEW YORK (AP) -- Disney's South Pacific animated tale "Moana" fell short of a "Frozen"-sized debut but nevertheless dominated the Thanksgiving box office with an estimated $81.1 million over the five-day weekend. The well-reviewed "Moana," about a princess's mythical journey in ancient Polynesia, earned $55.5 million from Friday to Sunday in North America, according to studio estimates Sunday. Though it didn't match the 2013 Thanksgiving release of "Frozen" ($93.6 million over five days in 2013), "Moana" scored... Read More, Comment
This promo spot for CANAL introduces us to its many shows across multiple channels. A number of these shows serve as ingredients that are brought together and prepared in a kitchen to form a multi-dimensional, diverse entertainment offering. It’s a tasty recipe that any world class chef--or TV/cable/digital programming exec--would be proud of. Antoine Bardou-Jacquet of Partizan directed the TV/cinema/digital :60 for agency BETC Paris. VFX house was Unit Image, Paris. Read More, Comment
Almost four years after the tragedy that struck Sandy Hook Elementary School, there continues to be no reduction in the number of gun violence acts committed each and every day. In the aftermath, families and communities are often left wondering what they could have done differently to have stopped it. Sandy Hook Promise (SHP), a leading national gun violence prevention organization, wants to help prevent acts of gun violence before they start through their no cost “Know the Signs” programs... Read More, Comment
Horror film cliches abound in this PSA as we see a naive girl make all the wrong decisions associated with a victim on the path to certain death. She hears a foreboding noise and heads straight for it, with malfunctioning flashlight in hand. She tries to get away in a car that won’t start. But her senseless death isn’t so senseless as organ donation means her passing isn’t for naught. Being an organ/tissue donor can make all the difference in the world to needy recipients and their families... Read More, Comment
Arconic (NYSE: ARNC), a global technology, engineering and advanced manufacturing company, launched a global campaign about the next world-changing innovations in the sky, on the road and in our cities--and how Arconic might help bring those technologies to life. Centerpiece of the ad campaign is a live-action re-imagining of the world of The Jetsons , the animated television series from Hanna-Barbera that premiered in 1962, and which was set then-100 years in the future, in 2062. The spot,... Read More, Comment
Filmmaker Kasra Farahani, known for his creative work as a concept artist on movies like Marvel’s Black Panther, Allegiant, Insurgent, and Alice in Wonderland, directed this spot for the Square Enix game Final Fantasy XV out of agency Omelet. Titled “Stand Together,” the commercial features Florence + The Machine’s cover of the song “Stand By Me” and encourages the spirit of adventure as four young “David” insurgents tackle an intimidating “Goliath”-like foe. Farahani directed the commercial... Read More, Comment
Minute Maid has opened a holiday season store with nothing to sell. But there’s something valuable to be had for customers as this digital film, titled Nothing To Sell , takes us inside that store which offers pen and paper to children of various ages so they can express heartfelt appreciation for their parents. Minute Maid’s #doingood campaign was created to combat the internal struggles many parents face as they attempt to balance work and life, while striving to provide the best holiday... Read More, Comment
The directing duo of Pat Heywood and Jamil McGinnis rolled out this short film created for the seventh season of Motionpoems, a nonprofit that turns poetry into film. The short is an adaptation of the poem “Things I Carry Into the World” by Cynthia Manick. It’s an abstract meditation on the body, the feminine, the everyday realities of being young and black, and the fragility between the manmade and the natural. Heywood and McGinnis worked with a nonprofit, Urban Word NYC, who connected them... Read More, Comment
Last year, Norton released the viral hit film Santa Got Hacked , in which Santa Claus gets hacked by the Bah Hum Bug--almost destroying the holidays. This year, Santa (and tech-savvy son Chris Jr.) are back in a whole new way with another film from Norton and Grey San Francisco. We see how Santa and Chris Jr. finally brought the North Pole into the 21st century and secured their workshop. Jason Headley of Slim Pictures directed Santa Got Secure . Read More, Comment