Palomar Commercials, Los Angeles, has signed director Gary McKendry, formerly of bicoastal Go Film.….Director Elma Garcia has joined bicoastal/international Morton Jankel Zander…. Directors Anthea Benton, formerly of bicoastal/international Partizan, and Pucho Mentasti (a.k.a. Pucho), whose last U.S. spot roost was Los Angeles-based Palomar Pictures, have joined bicoastal/international Believe Media for spot representation….Director/cameraman Bruce Nadel and exec producer Rick Katzen have linked with bicoastal Cohn+Company….Director Wayne Robins has come aboard Blind Spot Media, Santa Monica and Dallas….Cody Cluff has officially stepped down as president of the Entertainment Industry Development Corp (EIDC), the entity which oversees the joint Los Angeles County/City Film Office. Cluff resigned effective Dec. 16 after reaching an agreement with the EIDC executive board that calls for him to receive some $87,000 in severance pay and benefits, as well as $200,000 for legal fees. The attorney costs stem from Cluff being the ongoing focus of a Los Angeles County District attorney’s investigation over alleged misappropriation of EIDC funds (SHOOT, 9/20/02, 11/29/02, p. 1). Cluff denies any wrongdoing….Adrian Harrison has exited as managing director of RSA Films, London, a post he had held for the past six years. Executive producer Kai-Lu Hsiung has been promoted to succeed Harrison, who will remain on board as a consultant to the company for a transition period. Additionally, former head of production Debbie Garvey has been upped to deputy managing director of RSA Films….Hollywood-based Level 7 has signed directors Alan Douglas and Jim Kealy for exclusive representation in North America…..Venice, Calif.-based audio post house RavensWork has diversified into music and sound design for commercials, bringing composer/sound designer Johannes Hammers on board…The Costume Designers Guild has created a commercials category for its annual competition, which continues to honor outstanding work in theatrical feaures and in television. The fifth annual Costume Designer Guild Awards are slated for Sunday, March 16, at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel, Beverly Hills….Kevin Prendiville, formerly visual effects supervisor at Ring of Fire Advanced Media, West Hollywood, has joined Santa Monica-based The Syndicate as visual effects supervisor/ lead Flame artist….
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