Director Bernie Roux has joined Portland, Ore.-based animation/mixed media studio Bent Image Lab. Growing up in South Africa, Roux studied film, illustration and 2D animation, landing an apprenticeship under two of South Africa’s top animators–Riccardo Capecchi in 2D animation and Lindsay Van Blerk in stop motion. After getting his foot in the door at a South African production company, Roux worked his way up through the ranks, until he eventually founded his own studio Lovebomb Animation. He later joined New Zealand animation studio Yukfoo in 2007 and then Stockholm’s Against All Odds/Passion Pictures in 2010. Among his notable projects is the short film This Crowded Thought in which his story is told through stop motion photo flashes that he took while walking to and from work in Sweden. The film screened at “Best of the World” in the Hiroshima Animation Festival in 2012 and won a platinum Pixie in 2013. In addition to this Roux has won multiple awards for his commercials including a Loerie Award for his MTN spot, a D&AD award for his Doom “Bugs” illustrations and a Silver Lion for his 2003 PSA for Childline entitled “Lucy Moonflower.” He also directed a pair of Schweppes spots for Africa which featured his animation in such mediums as tin, wood and paint, deployed to express African street culture….Lost Highway Films has added director Robin Hays to its roster. Hays earned inclusion into the 2009 SHOOT New Directors Showcase in part on the strength of her adidas “Sneaker Head” spec spot and has gone on to establish herself as a director known for her fresh take on docu-style and children’s advertising. Hays’ “Blue Skies” for Honda earned Silver at the Digital Marketing Awards. She joins a Lost Highway directorial roster that includes Amy Demas, Elma Garcia, Sasha Levinson, Caitlin Felton, Todd Bellanca, Eddy Chu, Michael Patterson and Peter Rab๏ฟฝt….72andSunny, Los Angeles, has hired Audrey Eden to build the experiential marketing practice at the agency. Eden joins 72andSunny from Deutsch LA where she was executive VP of experiential marketing, leading efforts for brands such as Volkswagen and Target. She orchestrated over 200 events a year for VW, ranging from ride-and-drives to creating VW Area 41 that ended the summer-long sponsorship of the Dave Matthews Band tour. Her body of work also includes experiential work for HTC, American Express and Pedigree….
Utah Leaders and Locals Rally To Keep Sundance Film Festival In The State
With the 2025 Sundance Film Festival underway, Utah leaders, locals and longtime attendees are making a final push โ one that could include paying millions of dollars โ to keep the world-renowned film festival as its directors consider uprooting.
Thousands of festivalgoers affixed bright yellow stickers to their winter coats that read "Keep Sundance in Utah" in a last-ditch effort to convince festival leadership and state officials to keep it in Park City, its home of 41 years.
Gov. Spencer Cox said previously that Utah would not throw as much money at the festival as other states hoping to lure it away. Now his office is urging the Legislature to carve out $3 million for Sundance in the state budget, weeks before the independent film festival is expected to pick a home for the next decade.
It could retain a small presence in picturesque Park City and center itself in nearby Salt Lake City, or move to another finalist โ Cincinnati, Ohio, or Boulder, Colorado โ beginning in 2027.
"Sundance is Utah, and Utah is Sundance. You can't really separate those two," Cox said. "This is your home, and we desperately hope it will be your home forever."
Last year's festival generated about $132 million for the state of Utah, according to Sundance's 2024 economic impact report.
Festival Director Eugene Hernandez told reporters last week that they had not made a final decision. An announcement is expected this year by early spring.
Colorado is trying to further sweeten its offer. The state is considering legislation giving up to $34 million in tax incentives to film festivals like Sundance through 2036 โ on top of the $1.5 million in funds already approved to lure the Utah festival to its neighboring... Read More