Santa Monica-based Area 51 Films has named staff executive producers Preston Lee and Phyllis Koenig to serve as its co-management team. They succeed managing director Mark Thomas, who is exiting the company. Lee joined Area 51 a year ago while Koenig came aboard in early 2003 with director Craig Henderson….London agency Mother is opening a Gotham office….Visual effects/CGI studio Quiet Man, New York, has promoted producer Dave Moore to head of production, a newly created position at the company. Also, Inferno artist Peter Amante has been upped to head of Quiet Man’s compositing department. The promotions free company co-owner/compositor Johnnie Semerad to spend more time on the Inferno, working hands-on in the visual effects arena….The Blue Rock Editing Company, New York, has added editor Eric Bruggemann. He had been with Final Cut, New York….FilmCore, Santa Monica, has promoted Tiffany Burchard to editor. She had been an assistant to editor Paul Norling for the past five years, and has worked as an editor for the last four years at Green, Santa Monica, FilmCore’s boutique for young talent. FilmCore and Green also maintain San Francisco offices….Sydney-headquartered animation/visual effects house Animal Logic has named executive producer Maury Strong to head its Venice, Calif. office. She replaces Brad Steinwede who is leaving the company to pursue other interests in the ad industry. Prior to Animal Logic, Steinwede served as head of production at J. Walter Thompson, Sydney…Boston-based post house Pisces has launched a design unit, headed by recently hired creative director Chris Goveia, formerly of since-closed Hatmaker. Pisces will be building a roster of designers. Additionally, Smoke artist Chris Palazini has returned to Pisces following a stint at Universal Studios, Orlando, Fla….Santa Monica-based Moneyshots, a visual effects design facility best known for its work in music videos, has formed a commercial division. The shop has kicked off its spot operation with a pair of :30s for Reebok/Footlocker, directed by Benny Boom of bicoastal HSI Productions for The Arnell Group, New York; and a California Lottery ad helmed by Brian Aldrich of bicoastal Coppos Films for Grey, Los Angeles…Reelworks Animation Studio, Minneapolis, has added veteran animation/effects director Mark Mariutto and designer/animator Todd Hemker to its roster….
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