Editorial shop Bandit, formerly known as Fluid, has added editor Chris Kursel to its roster. Kursel brings to the NY boutique more than a decade of experience cutting spots for brands such as Google, Starbucks, Twitter, Cadillac, American Express, Verizon Wireless and Samsung. He comes to Bandit after six years at Lost Planet where his work spanned collaborations with Wieden+Kennedy, 72andSunny, mcgarrybowen and Goodby Silverstein & Partners, among other agencies.
Kursel is also active in projects beyond commercials. He earned a Best Editing award at the Boston Film Festival for his work on the feature film All Mistakes Buried, Kursel also worked with three-time Academy Award-winning cinematographer Bob Richardson on two back-to-back short films, Mandible and Wild Horses. Kursel’s credits additionally include the feature documentaries Branca’s Pitch and Andy. The latter documentary delves into the story of famed deceased surfer Andy Irons.
Milwaukee-native Kursel studied film at Boston University and broke into the industry right out of college, landing a position as an in-house editor for Boston advertising agency Modernista! and later relocating to San Francisco to serve as an in-house editor at agency Evolution Bureau. Kursel now resides in New York city with his wife Jackie and son Leon.
In addition to being an accomplished editor, Kursel is a published writer and exhibited visual artist, having showcased his drawings and paintings in a number of group and solo shows. He also recently released the premiere issue of his original “comic ‘zine” for Bullseye Comics, entitled, “The Black Hand Guide You,” a series inspired by everyday American life, pop culture and world events.
Jennifer Kent On Why Her Feature Directing Debut, “The Babadook,” Continues To Haunt Us
"The Babadook," when it was released 10 years ago, didn't seem to portend a cultural sensation.
It was the first film by a little-known Australian filmmaker, Jennifer Kent. It had that strange name. On opening weekend, it played in two theaters.
But with time, the long shadows of "The Babadook" continued to envelop moviegoers. Its rerelease this weekend in theaters, a decade later, is less of a reminder of a sleeper 2014 indie hit than it is a chance to revisit a horror milestone that continues to cast a dark spell.
Not many small-budget, first-feature films can be fairly said to have shifted cinema but Kent's directorial debut may be one of them. It was at the nexus of that much-debated term "elevated horror." But regardless of that label, it helped kicked off a wave of challenging, filmmaker-driven genre movies like "It Follows," "Get Out" and "Hereditary."
Kent, 55, has watched all of this — and those many "Babadook" memes — unfold over the years with a mix of elation and confusion. Her film was inspired in part by the death of her father, and its horror elements likewise arise out of the suppression of emotions. A single mother (Essie Davis) is struggling with raising her young son (Noah Wiseman) years after the tragic death of her husband. A figure from a pop-up children's book begins to appear. As things grow more intense, his name is drawn out in three chilling syllables — "Bah-Bah-Doooook" — an incantation of unprocessed grief.
Kent recently spoke from her native Australia to reflect on the origins and continuing life of "The Babadook."
Q: Given that you didn't set out to in any way "change" horror, how have you regarded the unique afterlife of "The... Read More