Director David Denneen has joined Los Angeles-based Form for exclusive spot representation in the U.S. Form is headed by executive producer Craig Rodgers. Denneen-who continues to maintain his longstanding Sydney-based production house, Filmgraphics-was formerly handled in the U.S. by bicoastal Anonymous Content…. Noted filmmaker and documentarian Michael Apted has signed with bicoastal Gartner for commercials in the U.S….The Brothers Strause have come aboard bicoastal HSI Productions’ directorial roster…..Dan Wieden, chief creative officer/CEO of Wieden+Kennedy, Portland, Ore., has been named president of the film and the press & outdoor juries for the 2003 Cannes International Advertising Festival….Director Doug Pray, best known for his work on documentaries and music videos, has signed with Oil Factory Films, Hollywood….Director Paul Papanek has come aboard Los Angeles-based Arsenal…. Tapehouse Editorial, New York, has added colorist Sam Daley….Sydney, Australia-based production/production services company Prodigy has added director Nicholas Reynolds for spotwork. Reynolds won a Gold Lion at the most recent Cannes International Advertising Festival for Ikea’s "Dog," via Lowe & Partners, Singapore. Prodigy also maintains offices in Melbourne, Australia, and Singapore….Director Jordan Brady’s film, Waking Up In Reno starring Billy Bob Thornton, Charlize Theron, Natasha Richardson and Patrick Swayze, opened nationwide this week (10/25). Brady helms commercials via Santa Monica-based Bravo Zulu….A fund has been established for the children of the late Michael Tardio, the brother of director Neil Tardio, Jr. (A Band Apart, Los Angeles), and son of veteran helmer Neil Tardio. Michael Tardio, 35, was murdered last month in Los Angeles. The crime is under investigation. To benefit Michael Tardio’s two kids, donations can be sent to the Michael Tardio Family Fund, c/o Smith Barney, attention: Kevin Malloy, at 1345 Avenue of the Americas, 21st floor, New York, N.Y. 10105….
Alec Baldwin Urges Judge To Stand By Dismissal Of Involuntary Manslaughter Case In “Rust” Shooting
Alec Baldwin urged a New Mexico judge on Friday to stand by her decision to skuttle his trial and dismiss an involuntary manslaughter charge against the actor in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on the set of a Western movie.
State District Court Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer dismissed the case against Baldwin halfway through a trial in July based on the withholding of evidence by police and prosecutors from the defense in the 2021 shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film "Rust."
The charge against Baldwin was dismissed with prejudice, meaning it can't be revived once any appeals of the decision are exhausted.
Special prosecutor Kari Morrissey recently asked the judge to reconsider, arguing that there were insufficient facts and that Baldwin's due process rights had not been violated.
Baldwin, the lead actor and co-producer on "Rust," was pointing a gun at cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during a rehearsal when it went off, killing her and wounding director Joel Souza. Baldwin has said he pulled back the hammer — but not the trigger — and the revolver fired.
The case-ending evidence was ammunition that was brought into the sheriff's office in March by a man who said it could be related to Hutchins' killing. Prosecutors said they deemed the ammunition unrelated and unimportant, while Baldwin's lawyers alleged that they "buried" it and filed a successful motion to dismiss the case.
In her decision to dismiss the Baldwin case, Marlowe Sommer described "egregious discovery violations constituting misconduct" by law enforcement and prosecutors, as well as false testimony about physical evidence by a witness during the trial.
Defense counsel says that prosecutors tried to establish a link... Read More