Bicoastal Villains has signed director Philippe Andre and The Guard Brothers (Tom and Charles)….Directors Jesper Ericstam and Magnus Rosman have joined Venice, Calif.-based Backyard Productions….Santa Monica-based BeachHouse Films has signed director Andre Marcell for representation on the West Coast and in the Midwest. Marcell continues to be repped on the East Coast by Riptide Films, New York….Charles Wolford has joined Modernista!, Boston, as executive producer, director of broadcast production….Creative director J.J. Sedelmaier of J.J. Sedelmaier Productions, White Plains, N.Y., and creative director Neal Adams of Continuity Studios have entered into an agreement to jointly pursue animation projects in the advertising and broadcast realms. Continuity is an illustration and design studio in New York, specializing in comic book-style projects….Avalanche Productions, New York, is repping documentary filmmaker Ivy Meeropol for select commercial assignments. Her documentary Heir to an Execution gained recognition at the Sundance and Tribeca Festivals, and is slated to debut on HBO….Editors Devin Bosquet and Natasha Uppal have come aboard Foundation, the postproduction house recently launched in Los Angeles and Chicago by editor James Lipetzky….West Hollywood-based visual effects/design house A52 has named Mark Tobin as its managing director/executive producer. Tobin formerly served as a producer at Santa Monica visual effects studio Method….Bruce Hanson has joined motion graphics firm Digital Kitchen, Seattle and Chicago, as its COO….
Breakout Films and Major Takeaways From This Year’s Sundance Fest
Film wasn't the only thing on people's minds at this year's Sundance Film Festival, which comes to a close Sunday in Park City, Utah ( and online ).
The effects of the wildfires in Southern California loomed large, as did the bittersweet knowledge that this year will be the second to last Sundance based in Park City. Some films offered an escape from reality; others were a pointed reminder of the domestic and international political landscape, from transgender rights to the war in Ukraine.
Here are some of the key takeaways from the 41st edition of the festival.
The effects of the Southern California fires were deeply felt
The wildfires were still burning in parts of Los Angeles when Sundance began last week and reminders of its devastation were everywhere, even on screen. Max Walker-Silverman's "Rebuilding," starring Josh O'Connor as a cowboy who loses his ranch in a wildfire and forms a community with fellow survivors in a FEMA camp, hit close to home for many.
Filmmakers Meena Menon and Paul Gleason lost their home in Altadena where they filmed some of their zombie apocalypse movie "Didn't Die." Sundance artist labs head Michelle Satter lost her Palisades home as well. Satter had an audience of Sundance Institute donors in tears early in the festival while accepting an honor at a fundraising gala.
"It's a deeply devastating time for us and so many others, a moment that calls for all of us coming together to support our bigger community," Satter said. "As a friend recently noted, and I have to listen to this, 'Take a deep breath ... We lost our village, but at the end of the day we are the village.'"
The festival's move to another city dominated conversations
It was a topic... Read More