South Korean cinema has fared well in the nominations for the Asian Film Awards.
Director Park Chan Wook's erotic period drama, "The Handmaiden," received six nominations, including Moon So-ri for best supporting actress. Five nominations went to the zombie film, "Train to Busan," including Ma Dong-seok for best supporting actor.
Chinese director Feng Xiao Gang's social justice drama "I Am Not Madame Bovary" also received five nominations including best film, best director and best actress for Fan Bingbing.
The other nominees for best picture were South Korean supernatural thriller "The Wailing," Taiwanese crime comedy, "Godspeed," Japanese family drama "Harmonium" and South Korean action thriller "The Age of Shadows." Best-director nominees were Na Hong-jin for "The Wailing," Koji Fukada for "Harmonium," Derek Tsang for "Soul Mate," Feng Xiaogang for "I Am Not Madame Bovary" and Lav Diaz for "The Woman Who Left."
Chinese director Jia Zhangke, who is this year's jury president and unveiled the nominations Wednesday, saw a "diverse and balanced" nomination list based on the previous year's films.
The "Mountains May Depart" director believes that it is reflective of the vibrancy of the Asian film industry, "Every year the creativity is different but in 2016, I think we saw many films from different genres that went head to head. There are art house films or commercial films that presented a lot of creativity," Jia said.
The nominations include 34 films from 12 Asian countries. Under the leadership of Jia, a panel of film experts including Hong Kong actress Karena Lam, will select the winners in 15 categories.
A best-actress nominee a year ago, Lam said she's thrilled to return as a jury member and she'll use her instincts as an actress when the jury votes.
"I will consider the background of the film, but also exchange with the other jury members. I can learn a lot in this process. When we sit down to meet, there are jury members from different parts of the world, you can get 10 different opinions for just 1 film. I think it's great. It'll be an opportunity for me to learn as well."
The Asian Film Awards will be handed out on March 21 in Hong Kong.
Mike Pierantozzi joins Movers+Shakers as exec creative director
Creative agency Movers+Shakers has appointed Mike Pierantozzi as executive creative director. In this new role, he will help guide the creative direction of Movers+Shakers’ socially-native campaigns. Pierantozzi will report to co-founder and chief creative officer Geoffrey Goldberg.
With nearly two decades of experience as a copywriter, creative director, and multi-platform storyteller, Pierantozzi brings a wealth of knowledge from his work with major brands including Kraft, Unilever, IBM, and Walmart. He has led the creation of award-winning campaigns for agencies like Red Tettemer, Ogilvy, The Brooklyn Brothers, TAXI, Saatchi & Saatchi, and most recently, Vayner, where he spearheaded culturally iconic work for Planters including “Death of Mr. Peanut.” He led the National Down Syndrome Society and Luvs account, whose “First Kid. Second Kid” campaign was awarded by the Effies, ADC, Clios and LIAs.
Outside of the office, Pierantozzi practices what he teaches brands. He’s gone viral multiple times on his own TikTok account, featuring comedic interactions with his son and a trombone. He’s accumulated 15K followers on TikTok.
“Mike brings a rare and awesome combination of deep social and platform experience, a keen eye for excellent storytelling, and a humble and kind approach to leadership,” said Goldberg. “Mike’s got a knack for turning brand stories into cultural movements, making him the perfect fit for Movers+Shakers. He’s got the kind of bold vision and attention to culture that fits perfectly with our mission to push creative boundaries and drive industry firsts. Plus, as a creator himself he has the innate ability to make people stop, laugh, and share--which is exactly what we’re about.”
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