Epoch Films has secured filmmakers Tom McCarthy and Daryl Wein for commercial representation. McCarthy has received critical acclaim for his writing and direction work for the independent films The Station Agent, Win Win and The Visitor.
For the latter, McCarthy won the Best Director honor at the 2009 Independent Spirit Awards and was nominated for Best Original Screenplay by the Writers Guild of America. Five years earlier, he earned his first WGA Awards Best Original Screenplay nomination for The Station Agent, which premiered at the ’03 Sundance Film Festival where it won the Audience Award as well as the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award. Win Win won the 2011 Humanitas Prize in the Feature Film category. Additionally, McCarthy earned an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay for Pixar’s Up, a shared writing credit with Pete Docter and Bob Peterson.
McCarthy was recently tapped to pen the Disney sports drama Million Dollar Arm.
Meanwhile, Wein is a New York filmmaker, who directed, co-wrote, co-produced and co-starred in the indie romantic comedy Breaking Upwards, which debuted at the 2009 SXSW Film Festival to critical acclaim and was released theatrically by IFC Films. He also directed Sex Positive, about the invention of safe sex during the AIDS crisis; the film won the Grand Jury Prize at the L.A. Outfest Film Fest, and was an Official Selection at the 2008 SXSW Film Festival. Regent released the film theatrically world-wide. Wein also co-wrote and directed Unlocked, a short psychological drama. The film was an Official Selection at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival. He is currently in postproduction on his second narrative feature film, Lola Versus, slated for distribution by Fox Searchlight in spring 2012. The movie is produced by Groundswell Productions, Academy Award-winning producers of Sideways and Milk.
Mindy Goldberg, partner and founder of Epoch Films, said, “Introducing unique filmmaking voices to the advertising community continues to be a guiding company principle and this signing [of McCarthy and Wein] is a good example of that principle in action.”
In addition to producing, commercials, music videos and web content, Epoch Films has previously developed and produced two feature films, Junebug, directed by Phil Morrison, and Gigantic, directed by Matt Aselton. Anne Carey (The American, Adventureland, The Savages) is now working with Goldberg on building Epoch Films’ feature and TV division. The two have a slate of projects in varying stages of development. Epoch is currently developing the feature film Low Down, with producers Albert Berger & Ron Yerxa (Little Children, Little Miss Sunshine) of Bona Fide Productions. Low Down will be directed by Epoch Films’ partner and commercial director Jeff Preiss.
Alec Baldwin Urges Judge To Stand By Dismissal Of Involuntary Manslaughter Case In “Rust” Shooting
Alec Baldwin urged a New Mexico judge on Friday to stand by her decision to skuttle his trial and dismiss an involuntary manslaughter charge against the actor in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on the set of a Western movie.
State District Court Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer dismissed the case against Baldwin halfway through a trial in July based on the withholding of evidence by police and prosecutors from the defense in the 2021 shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film "Rust."
The charge against Baldwin was dismissed with prejudice, meaning it can't be revived once any appeals of the decision are exhausted.
Special prosecutor Kari Morrissey recently asked the judge to reconsider, arguing that there were insufficient facts and that Baldwin's due process rights had not been violated.
Baldwin, the lead actor and co-producer on "Rust," was pointing a gun at cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during a rehearsal when it went off, killing her and wounding director Joel Souza. Baldwin has said he pulled back the hammer — but not the trigger — and the revolver fired.
The case-ending evidence was ammunition that was brought into the sheriff's office in March by a man who said it could be related to Hutchins' killing. Prosecutors said they deemed the ammunition unrelated and unimportant, while Baldwin's lawyers alleged that they "buried" it and filed a successful motion to dismiss the case.
In her decision to dismiss the Baldwin case, Marlowe Sommer described "egregious discovery violations constituting misconduct" by law enforcement and prosecutors, as well as false testimony about physical evidence by a witness during the trial.
Defense counsel says that prosecutors tried to establish a link... Read More