Community Films has added director Albert Uria to its roster for representation in the U.S. Originally from Spain, Uria splits his time among Los Angeles, Mexico City, and Barcelona. He was earlier handled by Persuade in the American ad market. Uria continues to work in Europe and Mexico via his own production company, Garage Films.
Before learning the tools of the trade as a director, Uria studied at the Photography Institute of Barcelona. He went on to produce four short films and direct two of them, earning several awards including a nomination for the Spanish Academy Film Awards. Commercials quickly followed and he founded Garage Films in 2003. Since then, he has directed for brands such as Nike, Ikea, Ford, Nissan, Honda, X-Box, Motorola and VW, leading him to be a three-time Cannes Lions finalist and winning 10 advertising worldwide awards like FIAP/NY and Golden AMPE. His profound interest for the human condition led him to study at the Government School of Harvard and to direct his first award-winning documentary “NY Showcase.”
Uria joins a directorial lineup at Community Films which includes: Marius Crowne, Seth Gordon, Jared Hess, Michael Patrick Jann, Emil Möller, Matt Smukler, Pam Thomas, Clay Tweel, and Clay Williams.
Community EP/partner Lizzie Schwartz said, “Albert can tell stories visually, comedically, with and without dialogue, and he always connects with the viewer.”
Carl Swan, Community EP/partner, cited Uria’s automotive work, observing, “He creates worlds that are visually striking enough to show off a car’s beauty, while at the same time allowing space for the actors to breathe and for the stories to build.”
After 20 Years of Acting, Megan Park Finds Her Groove In The Director’s Chair On “My Old Ass”
Megan Park feels a little bad that her movie is making so many people cry. It's not just a single tear either — more like full body sobs.
She didn't set out to make a tearjerker with "My Old Ass," now streaming on Prime Video. She just wanted to tell a story about a young woman in conversation with her older self. The film is quite funny (the dialogue between 18-year-old and almost 40-year-old Elliott happens because of a mushroom trip that includes a Justin Bieber cover), but it packs an emotional punch, too.
Writing, Park said, is often her way of working through things. When she put pen to paper on "My Old Ass," she was a new mom and staying in her childhood bedroom during the pandemic. One night, she and her whole nuclear family slept under the same roof. She didn't know it then, but it would be the last time, and she started wondering what it would be like to have known that.
In the film, older Elliott ( Aubrey Plaza ) advises younger Elliott ( Maisy Stella ) to not be so eager to leave her provincial town, her younger brothers and her parents and to slow down and appreciate things as they are. She also tells her to stay away from a guy named Chad who she meets the next day and discovers that, unfortunately, he's quite cute.
At 38, Park is just getting started as a filmmaker. Her first, "The Fallout," in which Jenna Ortega plays a teen in the aftermath of a school shooting, had one of those pandemic releases that didn't even feel real. But it did get the attention of Margot Robbie 's production company LuckyChap Entertainment, who reached out to Park to see what other ideas she had brewing.
"They were very instrumental in encouraging me to go with it," Park said. "They're just really even-keeled, good people, which makes... Read More