California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has a chance to put his mark on state filming issues, including runaway production, by appointing a new director of the California Film Commission (CFC) now that Karen Constine has stepped down from that post. At press time, there was no exact timetable for the naming of a successor. Currently serving as CFC director on an interim basis is Jorge Jackson of the state’s Trade and Commerce Agency…. BeachHouse Films, Santa Monica, has signed director Allen Martinez, who has just wrapped his first job there: a four-spot package for H-E-B via Rives Carlberg, Houston….Tate USA, Santa Monica, has signed director Federico Brugia for exclusive U.S. spot representation. The deal also marks the start of a reciprocal partnership between Tate USA and The Family, Milan, Italy, which handles Italian directorial talent like Brugia and Luca Merli….Aussie director Ryan Renshaw has joined Rhythm+ Hues Commercials, Los Angeles, for exclusive U.S. spot representation….Director Beth Galton has joined ARF & Co., Hoboken, N.J….Paris-headquartered Thomson has entered into an agreement to acquire the video division of ParkerVision, a Jacksonville, Fla.-based publicly traded manufacturer of live TV production automation systems. Thomson intends to integrate the ParkerVision products in its Grass Valley brand business. The transaction is valued at approximately $14 million in cash and is expected to close during the first half of 2004….Mental images, the Berlin-headquartered developer of Mental Ray rendering software, and Cycore, an Uppsala, Sweden-based graphics software company, have reached an agreement whereby mental images will acquire Cult3D, Cycore’s interactive 3-D software platform for e-business, and all related 3-D technology from Cycore. The plan is to drive widespread adoption and deployment of 3-D technology for the Internet….Steven B. Cohen has been named VP of feature film services at Santa Monica-headquartered Ascent Media…. The Association of Independent Creative Editors (AICE) is mailing reels of all submissions for its AICE Awards to its roughly 650 AICE member editors this week. Editors must submit their votes for the finalists before the end of the month. A blue-ribbon panel of judges will select the winners, which will be announced at the third AICE Show, May 13 at Soldier Field in Chicago….
Michelle Satter To Be Honored At Sundance Film Festival Gala
The nonprofit Sundance Institute today announced details for the 2025 Sundance Film Festival’s gala fundraiser, Celebrating Sundance Institute, which will take place on Friday, January 24, 2025 at the Grand Hyatt Deer Valley in Utah. The event will be an evening in celebration of Michelle Satter, founding sr. director of artist programs at Sundance Institute, for her longstanding commitment to nurturing artists and cultivating independent film through the Sundance Labs, where visionary artists convene to develop groundbreaking projects through an in-depth creative process, for the past four decades. The annual Vanguard Awards will be presented during the evening to Sean Wang, writer and director of Dìdi, and Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie, co-directors of Sugarcane, who premiered their films at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.
The annual gala enables the nonprofit to raise funds to support independent artists year-round through labs, grants, and public programming that nurture artists from all over the world. The 2025 event is made possible with the generous support of Google TV. The Festival will take place from January 23–February 2, 2025, in person in Park City and Salt Lake City, with a selection of titles available online from January 30–February 2, 2025 for audiences across the country to discover bold independent storytelling.
“For over four decades Michelle has been devoted to truly championing independent storytellers,” said Amanda Kelso, acting CEO of Sundance Institute. “She has encouraged artists to own their voice, learn their craft, become fierce leaders, and develop their resilience in our changing ecosystem. Her life-long commitment to supporting artists, especially in underrepresented... Read More