Our 2008 Directors Spring Edition is a time to celebrate directors but sadly this column celebrates the life of a noted filmmaker, Anthony Minghella, who unexpectedly passed away last week at the age of 54. While he is best known for his stellar feature work, such as The English Patient, which garnered nine Academy Awards–including the best picture and best director Oscars–Minghella had occasion to direct commercials and was a strong advocate of short format fare.
I spoke to him only once, shortly after he wrapped his first spot in many years, Guinness’ “Mustang” for Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO, London, produced by Independent Media, Santa Monica. But for me that one conversation in 2005 left a lasting impression of him as a thoughtful, intelligent, accomplished yet completely unassuming artist.
During our talk, he spoke of the rapport he had developed with Independent Media executive producer Susanne Preissler and that part of the attraction of directing a select commercial or two was the chance to work with her. Now in remembering Minghella, Preissler related, “He was a man of great talent who was elegant, kind, honest, thoughtful, giving and truthful with himself and others. He didn’t need to do commercials but he valued them as an art form and respected the people in this industry. He wasn’t looking to get anything out of this business. For him, it was always about ‘what can I bring to the project.’ I feel fortunate to have been his friend.”
In my interview with him, Minghella offered both historical and contemporary perspectives on the importance of short films. The former stemmed from his role as chairman of the British Film Institute, which helped to restore the Mitchell & Kenyon Collection consisting of some 500 one-minute films shot around the turn of the 20th century. The films had been stored in barrels and were discovered in the early 1990s in Blackburn. Mitchell & Kenyon produced the films which were commissioned by traveling fairground operators for showing at local fairgrounds across the U.K. Crews would lens people in everyday life and then tell them that they could see the films at an upcoming fair. Indeed people would turn out for the fair just to see themselves.
Minghella was excited that this work would be shown on the BBC in the form of a series co-produced by the BBC and the British Film Institute. Minghella noted that the shorts were fascinating not only in terms of documenting life in the early 1900s, but also for serving as “a breeding ground” for filmmakers, affording them the opportunity to learn and hone their skills.
He then brought the importance of that dynamic to the present, citing the new forms starting to emerge in the advertising arena.
“You can have a ‘Diesel dreams’ DVD with 25 to 30 shorts about people in their [Diesel] jeans,” he related. “It’s a great way for young filmmakers to have their say, to create and express themselves through glamorous calling cards that at the same time can be exploited commercially. I like that alchemy, where talent can go out and play while contributing to the marketplace at large.”
“Mufasa: The Lion King” and “Sonic 3” Rule Box Office For 1st Weekend Of 2025
The Walt Disney Co.'s "Mufasa: The Lion King" claimed the No. 1 spot on the North American box office charts over the first weekend of 2025.
The photorealistic "Lion King" prequel earned $23.8 million in its third weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday. Paramount's "Sonic the Hedgehog 3," which has dominated the past two weekends, wasn't far behind.
"Sonic 3" stayed close with a 3-day estimate of $21.2 million, bringing its total domestic earnings to $187.5 million and helping the overall franchise cross $1 billion worldwide. "Mufasa's" running total is slightly less, with $169.2 million.
In third place, Focus Features' "Nosferatu" remake defied the fate of so many of its genre predecessors and fell only 39% in its second weekend. Horror films typically fall sharply after the first weekend and anything less than a 50% decline is notable. "Nosferatu," which added 140 screens, claimed $13.2 million in ticket sales, bringing its running total to $69.4 million since its Christmas debut. The film, directed by Robert Eggers, already surpassed its reported production budget of $50 million, though that figure does not account for marketing and promotion expenses).
No new wide releases opened this weekend, leaving the box office top 10 once again to holdovers from previous weeks. Several have been in theaters since Thanksgiving. One of those, "Moana 2," claimed the No. 4 spot for Disney in its sixth weekend in theaters. The animated sequel earned another $12.4 million, bumping its global total to $960.5 million.
The Bob Dylan biopic "A Complete Unknown," dipped only slightly in its second weekend, bringing in $8.1 million. With $41.7 million total, it's Searchlight's highest grossing film since Disney acquired the company in... Read More