Reflecting the sluggish economy’s impact on the ad business, entries in the Film portion of this year’s Cannes International Advertising Festival are down a little more than 17 percent as compared to the number of entries in 2001. The Film competition has drawn 5,059 entries in ’02; last year’s festival had 6,117 Film entries….Matt Bijarchi has joined Young & Rubicam, Chicago, as senior VP/director of broadcast production….Director David Jellison has signed with bicoastal Cohn+ Company. He had been with bicoastal Tool of North America….Los Angeles-based Squeak Pictures has brought on directors Joel Peissig, Robin Willis, Rico Martinez, Michael Rooney, Cinque Henderson and Michael Rymer….Director Mike Miller has joined bicoastal Piper Productions….Rock Fight, the Los Angeles-based production house headed by principals/exec producers Ned Brown and Melissa White, has expanded its affiliation with Rose Hackney Barber (RHB), London. RHB had been a silent partner in Rock Fight since its launch a year ago. Per their newly struck deal, Rock Fight will represent RHB partners/directors Daniel Barber and Graham Rose, as well as directors Joe Roman and Sam Arthur, in the U.S. RHB will market Rock Fight director Pep Bosch in the U.K. Rock Fight also represents directors Duffy Culligan, James Frost and Alex Smith (the latter two previously directed as a team under the James & Alex moniker), as well as the helming duo Blue Source (a.k.a. Rob Leggatt and Leigh Marling)…..Editor Sarah Iben has come aboard Final Cut, New York….Director/cameraman Jerry Dugan has joined Highway 61, New York….Picture Park, Boston and Santa Monica, has announced the formation of Creature, a new music video division. Scott Kalvert will serve as exec producer; the new company has already signed its first director, Nathan Karma Cox, who will also be represented by Picture Park for spotwork….
London Critics Name “The Brutalist” The Film of the Year
The Brutalist, Brady Corbet’s immigrant saga, won the Film of the Year prize at the 45th London Critics’ Circle Film Awards.
While The Brutalist garnered just one award, it was the marquee honor. Meanwhile Nickel Boys, Conclave and A Real Pain all receivd multiple awards, and Zoe Saldaña was honored twice.
Edward Berger’s Vatican thriller Conclave took two awards for British/Irish Film of the Year and Actor of the Year for Ralph Fiennes, while RaMell Ross’s radical Colson Whitehead adaptation Nickel Boys was recognized with Director of the Year and the Technical Achievement Award for Jomo Fray’s first-person cinematography. Jesse Eisenberg’s dark comedy A Real Pain was the night’s other multiple prizewinner, landing Screenwriter of the Year for the actor-filmmaker, and Supporting Actor of the Year for co-star Kieran Culkin.
Payal Kapadia’s Mumbai-set drama All We Imagine as Light was named Foreign Language Film of the Year, while the Palestinian-Israeli collective behind No Other Land took Documentary of the Year.
Alongside Conclave, British productions awarded by the Circle in the top categories included Mike Leigh’s intimate character study Hard Truths, which took Actress of the Year for Marianne Jean-Baptiste, while Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl was named Animated Feature of the Year. In the British/Irish-specific categories, Saoirse Ronan won British/Irish Performer of the Year for her performances in The Outrun and Blitz, 14-year-old Nykiya Adams won Young British/Irish Performer of the Year for her screen debut in Andrea Arnold’s Bird, and Rich Peppiatt won the... Read More