London-based production company KODE has added director Sye Allen to its roster for commercial representation in the U.K. His directorial debut, Beasts, earned Gold at the Queen Palm Festival and the International Human Rights Film Festival. Subsequently, The Empty Chair garnered a Cannes YDA nomination and a Kinsale Shark. His portfolio contains work for British and global brands including Just Eat, Virgin Active, Vanish, Imperial Leather, and WestJet. His upcoming film, Light Hearted, a heartwarming tale of an elderly lady and her holographic husband, is poised for release, while campaigns for Vinted and Bold are in the final stages of postproduction….
Canadian production company Revolver Films has signed director Ross Allen for commercial representation. While representing Allen for all of Canada, Revolver Films will collaborate with his West Coast company, Vancouver-based GOOD-IDEA, on select projects. An accomplished director with over a decade of experience in the agency world, Ross has turned out such notable projects as Heartbeat of The Nation, which raised funds for healthcare workers and earned accolades like a Young Director Award nomination and a Vimeo Staff Pick. His collaborations with Audi, which led him to meet Canadian astronaut and engineer Colonel Chris Hadfield, have also garnered praise. Allen’s latest film, This is Golf, is a game-changing insight into the modern golf scene, presenting the sport in a fresh, authentic light. Made with love, for the love of the game, the film is a combination of Allen’s two passions, filmmaking and golf, with the intention of unapologetically subverting audience expectations of the sport. Spotlighting the fascinating and diverse community of golfers through a "punk" fashion lens, Ross shares the stories of these golfers on a personal level, capturing their interpretation of golf through unique and intimate camera angles….
Post house alter ego–well established in Canada under the aegis of partners Greg Edgar, Eric Whipp and Wade Odlum–is opening in the U.S. with a Santa Monica, Calif.-based studio. Colorist Whipp will head up the new L.A. area team alongside exec producer Pravina Sippy, colorist Kya Lou and color assistant Corey Martinez. Whipp, whose credits include multiple award-winning commercials as well as feature films such as Mad Max: Fury Road and the upcoming Mad Max: Furiosa, will also continue to service alter ego’s Canadian clients. Previously at L.A.-based Mr. Wolf, Sippy is an experienced postproduction EP whose extensive credits list includes commercial work for such brands as Toyota, Beats by Dre, and the NFL, as well as music videos, TV, and feature films. Colorist Lou, who was previously at Primary in Santa Monica, has to his credit work for Old Spice, Google and Calvin Klein. Also joining the team is colorist Ana Escorse whose experience is highlighted by work in the Brazilian market across commercial films and music videos. Escorse and Lou join Whipp, Odlum, and colorists Andrew Ross, James Graham, and Lily Henry, pushing alter ego’s color team to seven people, with additional talent like Jonah Venneri and Malini Khotsiphom also on the rise….
Rom-Com Mainstay Hugh Grant Shifts To The Dark Side and He’s Never Been Happier
After some difficulties connecting to a Zoom, Hugh Grant eventually opts to just phone instead.
"Sorry about that," he apologizes. "Tech hell." Grant is no lover of technology. Smart phones, for example, he calls the "devil's tinderbox."
"I think they're killing us. I hate them," he says. "I go on long holidays from them, three or four days at at time. Marvelous."
Hell, and our proximity to it, is a not unrelated topic to Grant's new film, "Heretic." In it, two young Mormon missionaries (Chloe East, Sophie Thatcher) come knocking on a door they'll soon regret visiting. They're welcomed in by Mr. Reed (Grant), an initially charming man who tests their faith in theological debate, and then, in much worse things.
After decades in romantic comedies, Grant has spent the last few years playing narcissists, weirdos and murders, often to the greatest acclaim of his career. But in "Heretic," a horror thriller from A24, Grant's turn to the dark side reaches a new extreme. The actor who once charmingly stammered in "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and who danced to the Pointer Sisters in "Love Actually" is now doing heinous things to young people in a basement.
"It was a challenge," Grant says. "I think human beings need challenges. It makes your beer taste better in the evening if you've climbed a mountain. He was just so wonderfully (expletive)-up."
"Heretic," which opens in theaters Friday, is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, co-writers of "A Quiet Place." In Grant's hands, Mr. Reed is a divinely good baddie — a scholarly creep whose wry monologues pull from a wide range of references, including, fittingly, Radiohead's "Creep."
In an interview, Grant spoke about these and other facets of his character, his journey... Read More