A five-time Oscar nominee for Best Achievement in Film Editing, William Goldenberg, ACE--who won the Academy Award in 2013 for cutting Argo --is now once again in the awards season conversation for News of the World (Universal Pictures), directed by Paul Greengrass, who also teamed with Luke Davies to write the screenplay based on the best-selling novel by Paulette Jiles. The movie marks a reunion of collaborators, two prime examples being Greengrass again coming together with Tom Hanks and... Read More 

LOS ANGELES -- Film Independent unveiled nominations for the 2021 Film Independent Spirit Awards. Up for Best Feature are First Cow, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Minari, Never Rarely Sometimes Always and Nomadland . Best feature director nominees are Lee Isaac Chung for Minari , emerald Fennell for Promising Young Woman , Eliza Hittman for Never Rarely Sometimes Always , Kelly Reichardt for First Cow and Chloé Zhao for Nomandland . Chung, Fennell and Hittman are also in the running for Best Screenplay, the other... Read More 

The National Board of Review (NBR) has named Da 5 Bloods the Best Film of 2020. Furthermore, based on his work on the Netflix feature, Spike Lee earned Best Director distinction. Da 5 Bloods ’ cast was additionally honored as Best Ensemble. Riz Ahmed and Carey Mulligan won Best Actor and Actress honors for performances, respectively, in Sound of Metal and Promising Young Woman . Sound of Metal also garnered Paul Raci the Best Supporting Actor mantle. Youn Yuh-jung won Best Supporting Actress... Read More 

LOS ANGELES -- The American Film Institute (AFI) has unveiled the recipients of AFI Awards 2020. Celebrating film and television arts’ collaborative nature, AFI Awards is the only national program that honors creative teams as a whole, recognizing those in front of and behind the camera. AFI Awards honorees include 10 outstanding films and 10 outstanding television programs deemed culturally and artistically representative of this year’s most significant achievements in the art of the moving image. AFI also... Read More 

NEW YORK (AP) -- Topping the New York Film Critics Online Awards with three wins apiece were Minari and Promising Young Woman . Minari took the marquee best picture honor, supporting actress (Young Yuh-jung who tied with Ellen Burstyn for Pieces of a Woman) and best foreign language film. Emerald Fennell topped the debut director and screenplay categories for Promising Young Woman , with Carey Mulligan winning for best actress. Best director and cinematography went, respectively, to Chloé Zhao and Joshua James... Read More 

NEW YORK (AP) -- For the first time since 1983, when Anheuser-Busch used all of its ad time to introduce a beer called Bud Light, the beer giant isn't advertising its iconic Budweiser brand during the Super Bowl. Instead, it's donating the money it would have spent on the ad to coronavirus vaccination awareness efforts. Anheuser-Busch still has four minutes of advertising during the game for its other brands including Bud Light, Bud Light Seltzer Lemonade, Michelob Ultra and Michelob Ultra Organic Seltzer... Read More 

A tale of two directors who are coming to Sundance, each with a milestone career debut. One already has a history at the festival with a short film--her first directorial effort--that was well received three years ago. Fast forward to today and her feature-length version of that short has again made the Sundance cut. It marks her initial foray into feature direction and will premiere in Sundance’s Next showcase, a collection of films marked by a forward-thinking approach to storytelling. Prior... Read More 

NEW YORK (AP) -- Peter Nicks had for months been documenting the students of Oakland High School, in California, when the pandemic hit. "It's in the Bay," says one student of the virus as he and others mill together in a classroom, excitedly contemplating the cancellation of school. Soon, the principal is heard over the loudspeaker — an announcement that would signal not just the scuttling of prom and graduation ceremonies, but, potentially, Nicks' film. After chronicling other Oakland institutions, Nicks had... Read More 

Three years ago, filmmakers Julie Cohen and Betsy West got a dream Sundance debut. They premiered their film "RBG" to a sold-out crowd with Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg not only in attendance but seeing it for the first time. There was a standing ovation, a bidding war and a big sale. It also went on to be a major awards contender. It's the kind of Sundance experience most filmmakers fantasize about. This year they're returning to the festival with their follow-up, "My Name is Pauli Murray"... Read More 

NEW YORK -- The One Club for Creativity has launched The One Show Fusion Pencil and ADC Fusion Cube, billed as being the advertising and design industry’s first global initiatives to recognize great work that best incorporates underrepresented groups in both creative content and the team that made it. With the goal of promoting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in both agency/production company staffing and creative work, the new Fusion awards will identify and celebrate great work which also... Read More 

LONDON -- Unilever has made public a wide-ranging set of commitments and actions to help build a more equitable and inclusive society by raising living standards across its value chain, creating opportunities through inclusivity, and preparing people for the future of work. As part of its multi-pronged initiative, Unilever announced that it wants to use the strength of its brands, and its position as the second largest advertiser in the world, to drive change. Unilever will increase the number of... Read More 

LOS ANGELES -- Director Lyle Mitchell Corbine Jr.--whose feature film debut Wild Indian is slated to premiere in the U.S, Dramatic Competition at the upcoming Sundance Film Festival (1/28-2/3)--has secured his first U.S. and French commercial representation, joining the roster of Paris and Los Angeles-based production company Loveboat. Corbine Jr.’s love of movies began while growing up on Native American reservations in Wisconsin and Minnesota, and expanded after he watched Sofia Coppola’s Lost in... Read More 

LOS ANGELES -- Siblings Sophie and Walker Cole, aka directorial duo The Coles, have joined Sanctuary Content for commercials and branded content in the U.S. Previously handled in the U.S. market by production house Hey Wonderful, The Coles--born and bred Manhattanites now based in L.A.--are alumni of SHOOT ’s 2017 New Directors Showcase. For both their commercial and short film work, The Coles prepare closely together leading up to a shoot, then divide and conquer on set. Sophie focuses on performance, while... Read More 

LOS ANGELES -- Production company Arts & Sciences (A&S) has added director and photographer Michael Lawrence to its roster in the U.S. and U.K. He was previously handled in the ad arena by Superprime and Academy in the U.S. and U.K. markets, respectively. Lawrence’s body of work spans such brands as Oakley, Wrangler, Nike, Samsung, Google, Ancestry, Uber, Coca-Cola and ESPN, as well as agencies including Wieden + Kennedy, Venables Bell & Partners, Anomaly, Mother, Sid Lee, BBH, AKQA, Fred &... Read More 

NEW YORK -- Comedy director Craig Melville has joined Naked City for U.S. representation and production. An Australian who has lived in New York City for the past five years, Melville remains on the roster at AIRBAG in Australia, which recently struck its own U.S. representation deal with Naked City. Melville is known for his docu-style comedy films for both television and advertising. His work has won more than 60 awards, including multiple Cannes Lions, Australian Directors Guild awards, and the Grand... Read More 

LOS ANGELES -- FilmLA, partner film office for the City and County of Los Angeles and other local jurisdictions, has issued a pair of reports illuminating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Los Angeles film economy. FilmLA’s year-end report for 2020 sheds light on the industry’s challenges to resume production last fall, while the 2020 Television Production Report dives deeper into the L.A. film industry’s most competitive segment--scripted television. Powering forward since October, production... Read More 

TOKYO (AP) -- IOC President Thomas Bach and local organizers are pushing back against reports that the postponed Tokyo Olympics will be canceled. Now set to open July 23, the Tokyo Games were postponed 10 months ago at the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, and now the event appears threatened again. The Times of London, citing unidentified government sources, reported that the games will have to be canceled. It quoted an unidentified senior member of the ruling government coalition. “No one wants to be... Read More 

NEW YORK (AP) -- The Cannes Film Festival, canceled altogether last year by the pandemic, is postponing this year's edition from May to July in hopes of having an in-person festival. Cannes organizers announced Wednesday that this year's festival will now take place July 6-17, about two months after its typical period. The French Riviera festival, which had run for nearly 75 years with few interruptions, is currently hoping the coronavirus recedes enough by summertime. Cannes last year first looked at a... Read More 

SAN FRANCISCO & LOS ANGELES -- Production house kaboom has added directing duo Plummer/Strauss (Justin Plummer, Martin Strauss) to its roster. The signing follows a collaboration late last year on Salesforce’s “This Is A Mask,” a bold, fast-paced narrative about the importance of teamwork to get things done. “When we commit to directors, I need to believe in the people as much as their talent,” said kaboom owner/executive producer Lauren Schwartz. “These guys are really special--and collaborating on Salesforce only... Read More 

LOS ANGELES -- Community Films has added multidisciplinary directing duo Mad Ruffian (aka Amanda Jones and Christopher Watson-Wood) to its roster for U.S. representation. Hailing from London, the recently transplanted to L.A. husband and wife duo have complementary skills: Jones with acting and casting chops, Watson-Wood with a background in visual effects and animation. The result is work that seamlessly blends strong performance with expertly rendered environments, or vice versa. ““We think our sweet spot... Read More 

LOS ANGELES -- Production company Ruffian has signed French director David Bertram for representation in the U.S. spanning commercials, branded content and music videos. This marks Bertram’s introduction to the American market. After attending art school, Bertram entered the world of advertising, working for more than a decade as a creative in Paris before becoming a director. His most recent directorial music video credit for the electronic duo Bicep, “Saku,” is an aural and visual art tour de force... Read More 

NEW YORK -- Sibling Rivalry, an independent creative agency combining a boutique studio with production, has signed two directors--Cameron Busby and Daisy Zhou (now known as DZ)--for sister company Sibling Films. Busby and DZ are being repped by Sibling Films in the U.S. for commercials and branded content. Busby splits his time between Los Angeles and New York City but is originally from Cleveland, Ohio. An alumnus of SHOOT ’s 2018 New Directors Showcase, Busby is self-taught and came up directing videos... Read More 

NEW YORK (AP) -- The first inaugurations of Presidents Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama were the only ones to exceed Joe Biden's in popularity among television viewers over the past 40 years. The Nielsen company said that 33.8 million people watched Biden's inauguration over 17 television networks between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. last Wednesday. Reagan's festivities in 1981 drew 41.8 million viewers, and Obama's 2009 inaugural reached 37.8 million, Nielsen said. Perhaps most important to a former president known to... Read More 

NEW YORK (AP) -- Cicely Tyson, the pioneering Black actor who gained an Oscar nomination for her role as the sharecropper's wife in "Sounder," a Tony Award in 2013 at age 88 and touched TV viewers' hearts in "The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman," died Thursday at age 96. Tyson's death was announced by her family, via her manager Larry Thompson, who did not immediately provide additional details. "With heavy heart, the family of Miss Cicely Tyson announces her peaceful transition this afternoon. At this time... Read More 

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Cloris Leachman, an Oscar-winner for her portrayal of a lonely housewife in "The Last Picture Show" and a comedic delight as the fearsome Frau Blücher in "Young Frankenstein" and self-absorbed neighbor Phyllis on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," has died. She was 94. Leachman died in her sleep of natural causes at her home in Encinitas, California, publicist Monique Moss said Wednesday. Her daughter Dinah Englund was at her side, Moss said. A character actor of extraordinary range, Leachman defied... Read More 

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Larry King, the suspenders-sporting everyman whose broadcast interviews with world leaders, movie stars and ordinary Joes helped define American conversation for a half-century, died Saturday. He was 87. King died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, his production company, Ora Media, tweeted. No cause of death was given, but a spokesperson said Jan. 4 that King had COVID-19, had received supplemental oxygen and had been moved out of intensive care. His son Chance Armstrong also... Read More 

States United to Prevent Gun Violence has tapped in the cultural phenomenon of the unboxing video to help a gun safety message gain traction. This public service film, a pro bono effort from Grey New York, centers on a fictional would-be social influencer, an eight-year-old named Cayden, who digs a box out from his parents’ bedroom closet and opens it for his online audience to reveal a firearm. At that point we see the profound potential for tragedy, all because families aren’t taking the... Read More 

After a year that’s seen Aussies more physically divided than ever, this ad from Australian Lamb comes at the perfect time, uniting the country over some lamb, and laughs. Building on the “Share the Lamb” brand platform, the integrated campaign created by The Monkeys, part of Accenture Interactive, for Meat & Livestock Australia, reflects upon 2020 as a pivotal time in history where, for the first time, Australia was physically divided due to the pandemic. The long-form ad, directed by... Read More 

In celebration of Chinese New Year, feature filmmaker Lulu Wang ( The Farewell ) directed this short film titled Nian which was shot entirely on an iPhone 12 Pro Max. The 11-minute film introduces us to a brave girl who seeks out the feared forest beast Nian. When coming face to face with him, she discovers that he is quite different than she imagined. Her adventure shows us the beauty of facing one’s fears. Wang related, “As a child, my parents wanted me to go further than they have ever gone... Read More 

Tide, the official laundry detergent of the NFL, returns to the Super Bowl with creative from Saatchi & Saatchi New York--this time with the help of comedian and actor, Jason Alexander. An animated Alexander appears front and center on a teenager’s hoodie. The character’s reactions to what he encounters gives us an idea of what our clothes go through on a daily basis, subjected to dirt, bad odors and whatever else a person puts his or her apparel through. The Big Game message challenges... Read More 

2020 was one lemon of a year as this Super Bowl spot for Bud Light Seltzer Lemonade underscores. It’s literally raining lemons on life’s events from weddings to do-it-yourself haircuts and Major League Baseball games, creating what in this commercial is a special brand of comedic havoc. Bud Light, though, has found the proverbial silver lining by making lemonade out of all those lemons with its new seltzer. Mike Warzin of Arts & Sciences directed this “Last Year’s Lemons” commercial for... Read More 

Samuel Adams is all-in on Super Bowl 2021, leveraging the moment to introduce a new line of beer, Wicked, to drinkers everywhere. For Sam Adams to play in the Big Game marketing space for the first time in brand history at this scale, they’re horsing around with a certain big beer conglomerate in this spot--”Your Cousin From Boston Frees the Clydesdales”--directed by Matt Aselton of Arts & Sciences for agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners. The spot, which will run in the Boston and New... Read More 

While Anheuser-Busch InBev has pulled Budweiser from this year’s Super Bowl ad derby, other AB InBev brands will be participating, including Michelob ULTRA with this spot, titled “Happy,” from Wieden+Kennedy New York. Part of the overall “It’s Only Worth It If You Enjoy It” campaign, the :60 enlists the help of sports superstars including Serena Williams, Anthony Davis, Peyton Manning, Brooks Koepka, Jimmy Butler and Alex Morgan, to showcase the less-heralded-but-equally-important parts of... Read More 

Well, the Cookie Monster’s out of the bag. The Martin Agency is doing a Super Bowl spot for DoorDash directed by Michel Gondry via production company Partizan. While the Big Game commercial is not yet available, this teaser titled “Paper Towel” provides a taste of what could be in store--starring Sesame Street’s Grover and Grammy and Tony Award-winning actor and rapper Daveed Diggs. The teaser centers on a convenience store delivery of paper towels, which comes at a most opportune time for... Read More 

This campaign for Woody Creek Distillers features William H. Macy ( Shameless ) as musician Willie Creeks, who slings sage advice, sings, and picks on his ukulele, all while sippin’ his favorite whiskey. Created via StrawberryFrog, directed by Douglas Avery, produced by Film 47 and edited by Nicholas Wayman-Harris of bicoastal Union, the campaign consists of two :30s, nine :15s and this music video for “Whiskey Dell,” in which Creeks recalls fishing with his dad--and discovering the barrels of... Read More 

FedEx is pitching in to deliver the COVID vaccines, the first step to getting back to a semblance of life like before. Hopeful for the future, BBDO New York--longtime creative agency for FedEx--created “Moving Forward” which captures the anticipation and moments that the delivery of the vaccines will enable. The film works backwards, reversing the life we’ve all missed, tracing it to FedEx and their efforts to deliver when it matters most. The film is the first to bring to life the company’s... Read More 

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