It’s been an auspicious directing debut for Moses Bwayo and Christopher Sharp as their Bobi Wine: The People’s President (National Geographic) has earned assorted honors, including nominations for a couple of high-profile awards--the Best Feature Documentary Oscar, as well as the Directors Guild of America (DGA) Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary. Bobi Wine: The People's President has additionally already won varied prizes such as topping the marquee category of Best... Read More 

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) -- Prosecutors sought to pin blame on a movie weapons supervisor for bringing live ammunition on set and "unprofessional and sloppy" work that contributed to the fatal shooting of a cinematographer by Alec Baldwin during production of the film "Rust," as the first trial in the death began Thursday. Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who was the armorer for the Western movie, has pleaded not guilty to charges of involuntary manslaughter and tampering with evidence in the death of cinematographer Halyna... Read More 

NEW YORK (AP) -- The Beatles are getting the big-screen biopic treatment in not just one film, but a Fab Four of movies that will give each band member their own spotlight — all of which are to be directed by Sam Mendes. For the first time, the Beatles, long among the stingiest rights granters, are giving full life and music rights to a movie project. Sony Pictures announced Monday a deal that may dwarf all music biopics that have come before it, with the stories of Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison... Read More 

BERLIN (AP) -- Stephen Fry and Lena Dunham play a convincing father and daughter in German director Julia von Heinz' first English-language movie, "Treasure." Set in post-communist Poland, the comedy-drama had its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival over the weekend. Dunham joked in an interview that when she sent her mother a photo after her first read-through with Fry, her mother replied, "I think we now know who your real father is." Dunham said she was full of nerves meeting Fry: "Meeting your... Read More 

NEW YORK (AP) -- Scripts of all kinds sit in the drawers of Ethan Coen's home, some to be returned to, some forever abandoned. When writing with his brother Joel over many years, the absurd narrative paths they'd venture down would inevitably lead to strange mental roadblocks. "Sometimes partial scripts would stop in mysterious places," Coen says. "'Fargo' we started writing many, many years before we made it and then we stopped at page 70 with 'Carl is humping the escort.' Then the rest of that page is blank... Read More 

Diablo Cody, a Best Original Screenplay Oscar winner for Juno , is no stranger to bringing a new form of life to somebody or someone's body--perhaps most notably in the Karyn Kusama-directed Jennifer’s Body in which a teen becomes demonically possessed. After an inauspicious box office debut, that film, a victim of off-kilter marketing, has over time come to be regarded as a cult favorite with dimensions and substance that went underappreciated in its initial release. Fast forward to today and... Read More 

LONDON (AP) -- Atom bomb epic “Oppenheimer” won seven prizes, including best picture, director and actor, at the 77th British Academy Film Awards on Sunday, cementing its front-runner status for the Oscars next month. Gothic fantasia “Poor Things” took five prizes and Holocaust drama “The Zone of Interest” won three. Christopher Nolan won his first best director BAFTA for “Oppenheimer,” and Cillian Murphy won the best actor prize for playing physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb... Read More 

LOS ANGELES -- The Visual Effects Society (VES) unveiled the winners at its 22nd VES Awards, the yearly celebration that recognizes outstanding visual effects artistry and innovation in film, animation, television, commercials, video games and special venues. Industry guests gathered at The Beverly Hilton hotel to celebrate VFX talent in 25 awards categories and special honorees. The Creator was named the photoreal feature winner, garnering five awards. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse was named top... Read More 

NEW YORK & LOS ANGELES -- The Writers Guild of America unveiled this year’s award nominations spanning screenwriting, TV, new media, news, radio/audio and promotional writing. In the running for Best Original Screenplay are Air, Barbie, The Holdovers, May December and Past Lives . Nominated for Adapted Screenplay are American Fiction, Are you There God It’s Me, Margaret, Killers of the Flower Moon, Nyad and Oppenheimer . TV highlights include nods in series drama going to The Crown, The Curse, The Diplomat, The Last of... Read More 

LOS ANGELES -- Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse came up the big winner on Saturday night (2/17) in Los Angeles at ASIFA-Hollywood’s 51st Annie Awards recognizing the year’s best in the field of animation. The Sony Pictures Animation film topped seven categories, earning Best Feature distinction, as well as feature category wins for Best Direction, Character Design, Music, Production Design and Editorial. Spider-Man also won the prize for best character animation in a video game. Next in the feature tally... Read More 

Three firm thumps into the Arrakis sand is all you need to summon a sandworm in Denis Villeneuve's "Dune: Part Two." It's almost as easy as hailing a cab or calling for the check. The big buggers can't resist the sound, which is a little like how I feel taking in all the vibrations of Villeneuve's adaptation of Frank Herbert's 1965 science-fiction novel. Whispers, incantations and guttural sounds buzz throughout "Part Two," a hissing hulk of a sequel that fluctuates between ominous silences and... Read More 

LOS ANGELES -- Barbie, Poor Things and Saltburn came up the feature winners at the 26th Costume Designers Guild Awards ceremony in Los Angeles on Wednesday evening (2/21). Topping the TV categories were episodes of Beef, The Great, Ahsoka , and A Black Lady Sketch Show . The Costume Designers Guild Awards honor achievement of excellence in Costume Design in film, television, short form design, and illustration. Here’s a category-by-category rundown of the winners: Excellence in Contemporary Film Saltburn –... Read More 

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. -- During a gala ceremony on Sunday night (2/18), the Make-Up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild (IATSE Local 706) unveiled the winners of its 11th Annual Make-Up Artists & Hair Stylists Awards spanning 23 categories of film, television, commercials, and live theater. Winners in the feature film categories included “Maestro,” “Saltburn,” “Barbie,” and “The Idol.” Among the TV series winners were “The Crown,” “The Last of Us,” “The Morning Show,” “Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story,” and “... Read More 

SAN FRANCISCO -- David Verhoef--whose career spans the advertising agency, production and post company sides of the business--has announced his retirement after four decades. When Verhoef started in advertising, there were three platforms for “branded content”: TV, radio and print. The landscape is now a digital maze of channels, formats and deliverables. As an agency producer and, most recently, as co-founder and CEO of production and post shop The Cabinet, Verhoef has deftly navigated these sharp corners and... Read More 

NEW YORK -- Bicoastal production house Sanctuary has added Mary Dauterman to its directorial roster. She’s brought silly and stylish commercial films to life for brands including International Delight, Pinterest, Pirate’s Booty, e.l.f., José Cuervo, IHOP, and Casper Originally from Texas, Dauterman began her journey into directing with her love for film, which flourished during her time as an agency creative at Wieden+Kennedy, Droga5, and Crispin Porter+Bogusky. Her strong narrative background informs an... Read More 

LOS ANGELES -- Untold Studios has signed director Paul Mitchell for worldwide representation spanning all of his creative output, including but not limited to commercials, music and TV. Mitchell, who will be based in Untold’s L.A. studio, was part of the team that worked on Apple TV+’s For All Mankind “Season 3 Experience” which won the primetime Emmy for Outstanding Emerging Media Program. A storyteller whose cinematic eye elevates live-action with exemplary visual effects, Mitchell has received global... Read More 

LONDON -- Blinkink, the London-based production studio, has added Ng’endo Mukii to its directorial roster for global representation spanning short-form fare across commercials, branded content, short films and music videos. The Boston-based filmmaker is also going to continue working with Blinkink’s long-form division as development projects come along. They’ve had an acclaimed collaboration already on the Disney+ anthology series, Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire , which last week saw its “Enkai” episode... Read More 

NEW YORK -- Huge, the design and innovation company under Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG), has hired Chidi Achara as chief product officer and appointed Matt Weiss as chief brand officer. Both personnel moves were made by Lisa De Bonis, marking her first major action as Huge CEO. “Building a well-rounded, connected leadership team with diverse experience is a personal goal of mine in 2024,” said De Bonis. “With Chidi and Matt on our team, I believe we can now accelerate delivering unique and innovative... Read More 

LONDON -- Nexus Studios has added director Shane Griffin to its global roster for commercial representation. He brings a media-straddling blend of high-end artistic design, live-action filmmaking and emerging technologies to the studio lineup. Griffin’s body of work--which seamlessly blends surrealism with futuristic themes--spans such clients as Apple, BMW, Givenchy and Guinness. He has also collaborated on music promos for artists like Wiz Khalifa, and has exhibited his artwork globally. Griffin’s... Read More 

LOS ANGELES -- Sibling Films--part of the New York and L.A.-based brand studio and production company Sibling Rivalry--has added Angie Su to its roster of directors. This follows her 2023 partnership with the production company as part of the Commercial Directors Diversity Program. Born in China and based in Los Angeles, Su has worked with brands and artists such as Pepsi, Pizza Hut, Huawei, Vivo, cellist Lynn Harrell, former “Hamilton” star Chris Lee, and Chinese actress and singer Zi Yang, to name a few. Su... Read More 

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Walmart is buying the smart TV maker Vizio for $2.3 billion as it attempts to expand its rapidly growing advertising business to compete with Amazon. If completed, the deal would give Walmart access to Vizio's SmartCast operating system, allowing the retail behemoth to offer its suppliers the ability to display ads on streaming devices. Walmart has been ramping up its media and ad business with Walmart Connect, giving advertisers access to Walmart's massive customer base. In its earnings... Read More 

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Although Vince Staples has been in the limelight for more than a decade, he still thinks fame is a weird thing. And while the Southern California rapper isn't necessarily concerned with "making the best thing" or reaping critical praise, he's willing to endure the publicity machine if it means he can continue to find creative fulfillment through whatever art form calls to him. That's what propelled the 30-year-old to make his first foray into filmmaking with "The Vince Staples Show," a kind of... Read More 

NEW YORK (AP) -- Paramount Pictures' Bob Marley biopic "Bob Marley: One Love" outperformed expectations to debut at No. 1 at the box office with a $27.7 million opening weekend, while Sony's "Madame Web" flopped with one of the lowest debuts for a movie centered on a Marvel character. Both films launched in theaters on Tuesday to rope in Valentine's Day moviegoers. But on a weekend that was once expected to go to "Madame Web," "One Love" emerged as the much-preferred option in theaters, despite largely poor... Read More 

Director Sune Sorensen and SMALL Agency, NY, team to brand Italian retail/grocery store Esselunga with emotional storytelling, taking on a universal topic that transcends culture. The narrative centers on a girl, Arianna, who wants to move away from home, which doesn’t meet the approval of her dad. Sorensen (who is repped in the U.S. by production house Hey Baby Films; this job was produced via Indiana Production in Milan, Italy) immediately connected with SMALL founders Luca Pannese and Luca... Read More 

Insurance and asset management company AXA has launched its multi-country campaign on sustainability, developed by agency Publicis Conseil in Paris.. When it comes to fighting against climate change, we all show goodwill, each in his/her/their own way and means. But even if goodwill is important, it still needs a helping hand. And that’s what AXA showcases in its campaign, that “even goodwill needs a little help.” And AXA has a role to play. This campaign film--directed by Matt Smukler via... Read More 

Dua Lipa has released the music video for “Training Season,” directed by Vincent Haycock and produced by Somesuch. “Training Season” arrives as the second single from Lipa’s forthcoming third studio album and was made with Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker, Caroline Ailin, Danny L Harle, and Tobias Jesso Jr. The video opens with Lipa’s voicemail flooded with apologies and requests for second chances, continuing with clips of the singer sitting alone in a cafe as men compete for her attention as the... Read More 

Apple Music has released a longform piece taking us behind the scenes of Usher’s Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show, all shot on iPhone 15. About 40+ iPhones were rigged to the stage, sewn into wardrobe, and placed in instruments to provide distinctive perspectives on the making of the extravaganza. Mike Carson directed the 10-minute film via production house HPLA for agency TBWA\Media Arts Lab. Read More 

With the help of AI, nonprofit criminal justice advocacy organization Worth Rises and creative ad agency EP+Co have resurrected President Abraham Lincoln to deliver a speech expressing his regret for including an exception in the U.S. Constitution’s 13th Amendment that has allowed slavery to continue and imploring the 2024 Presidential candidates and constituents to finally end slavery for all by passing the Abolition Amendment. The 13th Amendment is celebrated for ending slavery in the U.S.,... Read More 

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