Director Christine Jeffs has signed with Xenon, the N.Y.-based house headed by exec producer/founder Doug Robbins, for exclusive U.S. spot representation. Jeffs was formerly repped in the ad arena by bicoastal Saville Productions. The director has been active in both feature films and commercials.
Jeffs has been active in feature films and commercials. On the former front, her credits include: American indie Sunshine Cleaning (2008), starring Amy Adams, Emily Blunt and Alan Arkin, in which, to raise the tuition to send her son to private school, a thirty-something single mom starts an unusual business–a biohazard removal/crime scene clean-up company; Sylvia (2003), a British motion picture starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Daniel Craig, which explored the relationship between poets Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes; and Rain (2002), a family drama about the collapse of a marriage and the dissolution of a mother-daughter relationship. Rain–Jeffs’ feature screenwriting and directing debut–was selected for its world premiere in the Directors Fortnight at the 2001 Cannes International Film Festival.
Currently Jeffs is in development on a romantic comedy, Wonderful Tonight, with Castle Rock Entertainment.
As for commercials, Jeffs’ currently airing work includes Kohl’s and North Shore LIJ Health System from DeVito Verdi. Other U.S. ad credits are Seasonique and the U.S. Census, among others. Internationally her spots span such clients as Baileys, Land Transport NZ, Bank of New Zealand, and the New Zealand Police. Jeffs’ commercial work has earned her a shelf full of awards including a Cannes Bronze Lion, New Zealand’s CAANZ creative excellence Axis Award for direction three years consecutively, and a number of Australian awards.
Jeffs began her career in New Zealand as an assistant editor on feature films and documentaries including Crush (1992) starring Marcia Gay Harden, Absent Without Leave (1992), Ruby and Rata (1990) and Send a Gorilla.
Jeffs wrote, directed and edited the short film Stroke (1994), which centers on a lone swimmer who gets revenge on a group of lane swimmers who disrupt her tranquility. Stroke was screened at festivals worldwide including Cannes and Sundance
When not behind the lens, Jeffs lives on a ranch in Auckland, N.Z., with her partner John Toon, cinematographer of Sunshine Cleaning and her other films.
Jeffs joins a Xenon creative directorial roster that includes Jamie Way, Ash Beck, Vico Sharabani, Three Volts and Stacy Toyama.
“Overnight Success” Has Been More Than A Decade In The Making For Meghann Fahy and Eve Hewson
Meghann Fahy and Eve Hewson, two of the stars of Netflix's whodunit "The Perfect Couple," have news for you if you want to call them breakouts: They've been working in this business for more than a decade.
Fahy made her TV debut in 2009 in an episode of "Gossip Girl." Hewson's first big film role was in 2011's "This Must Be the Place." They do concede, however, that it's recent TV roles — "The White Lotus" for Fahy and "Bad Sisters" for Hewson — that have led to new frontiers of opportunity.
Susanne Bier, who directed "The Perfect Couple," says both Fahy and Hewson are "going to be big stars."
"They certainly have proper, profound star quality, Both of them in very different ways," Bier says. "Both are incredibly creative, incredibly smart, and also have a impressive insight as to who they are. You can be a great actor or actress and not necessarily really know who you are yourself. And they do."
Hewson, 33, whose dad is U2 front man Bono, may have grown up in a famous family but she's now in demand in her own right. She will next be seen in a second season of "Bad Sisters, " out in November. She's in Noah Baumbach's next film, alongside Adam Sandler, George Clooney and Riley Keough. She's also been cast in Steven Spielberg's next production and is set to star opposite Murray Bartlett in a racing series for Hulu.
Fahy, 34, is in production on a limited series with Julianne Moore and Milly Alcock called "Sirens," written by Molly Smith Metzler ("Maid") for Netflix. She also has two films in the can with Josh O'Connor ("The Crown," "Challengers") and Brandon Sklenar ("It Ends With Us").
The two actors spoke candidly about this phase of their careers. This interview has been condensed for clarity and... Read More