Japanese Brazilian writer-director Edson Oda–whose debut film Nine Days won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival and received a Best First Feature nomination from the 2021 Film Independent Spirit Awards–has joined the roster of Eleanor, the production company under the aegis of founder/EP Sophie Gold, for U.S. representation spanning commercials and branded content. This marks Oda’s first representation in the U.S.
Nine Days inspired Gold to reach out and connect with Oda. “I watched his film Nine Days and absolutely loved it,” recalled Gold. “It’s such a well-crafted story that he paced phenomenally, allowing the audience to fully embrace the events on screen without over-explaining them. It really moved me and I’m looking forward to watching it again.”
For Oda, the suicide of his uncle influenced his decision to construct a film that celebrates the small moments in life, as well as mental health and depression. “It is a dazzling exploration of death; not why people die, but how they live,” said Oda.
The first-time feature filmmaker fits into the director-focused model that Eleanor has crafted. Before winning the Waldo Salt honor at Sundance, Oda wrote, directed, and supervised projects for Philips, Telefonica, Movistar, InBev, Whirlpool, Johnson & Johnson, Honda, and Nokia. He did this brand work when he was an advertising sr. creative in Brazil, Spain and London at DM9DDB, DDB Spain and Wieden+Kennedy.
Oda joins an Eleanor directorial lineup that includes Kate Cox, Woods, Adrian De Sa Garces, Kacper Larski, Elias Ressegatti, Kelsey Taylor, Dawit N.M. and Alice Waddington.
Eleanor is represented on the East Coast by Anya Zander and Jenn Johnson of Hustle, in the Midwest by Matt Bucher of Obsidian Reps, and on the West Coast by Melissa Ross of Melissa Ross Represents.
