Director Andy Mahr has joined the roster of Dallas-based production company Motion Content, Inc. Mahr made his initial mark in advertising as an art director and creative director on accounts including Hummer, Discovery Channel, American Airlines, Texas Tourism, Bell Helicopter and Nationwide Insurance.
After years of creating campaigns for advertising agencies including, Pyro, The Richards Group, and TM Advertising, Mahr successfully made the transition from art director to a career in photography. His photography credits include work for Nike, RAM Trucks, United States Marine Corps, Toyota, California Tourism, and Chick-fil-A. His work has been continually recognized in Communication Arts, and he was named one of Archive Magazine's 200 Best Ad Photographers Worldwide in 2012, 2014 and 2015.
In 2013 Mahr was among those whose work was featured in The Richards Group’s lauded Super Bowl commercial, “Farmer,” for RAM Trucks. Imagery in the two-minute Super Bowl spot also came from such notables as William Albert Allard of National Geographic fame and noted documentary photographer Kurt Markus. The ad tapped into the “So God Made a Farmer” speech made by famed radio broadcaster Paul Harvey in 1978 at the National Future Farmers of America Convention. The eloquent remarks became even more poetic and lyrical when accompanied by images capturing U.S. farm life for the Ram Trucks’ Big Game spot.
Mahr now aims to bring his dramatic visual sensibility and gift for capturing the genuineness of real people to the moving picture. At Motion Content, he joins executive producer Diana Payer, and a talent pool that includes directing team Peter & Annie, and Brooklyn-based Todd Broder.
Payer said of adding Mahr to the Motion Content roster, “Andy’s work has a truthfulness to it that is just incredibly powerful. I’ve long been a fan of his photography, and am looking forward to working alongside Andy as he brings that talent to the motion side.”
“Heretic” and “Maria” Set As Red Carpet Premieres At AFI Fest
The American Film Institute (AFI) has announced that Heretic, the psychological thriller starring Hugh Grant, and Maria, based on the life of opera singer Maria Callas starring Angelina Jolie, will round out the Red Carpet Premieres section at this year’s AFI Fest. The Heretic Gala Screening will take place on Thursday, October 24, and the Maria Gala Screening will be held on Saturday, October 26. The complete Red Carpet Premieres section includes the world premieres of Music By John Williams, Robert Zemeckis’ Here, Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl and Clint Eastwood’s Juror #2. All Red Carpet Premieres will take place at the historic TCL Chinese Theatre. The full lineup for AFI Fest 2024 will be unveiled on October 1.
“At the heart of AFI Fest is an unwavering dedication to celebrating the best in global cinema--together,” said Bob Gazzale, AFI president and CEO. “We look forward to uniting artists and audiences once again to be inspired by the art form in a powerful sense of community.”
Heretic follows two young missionaries (Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East) who are forced to prove their faith when they knock on the wrong door and are greeted by a diabolical Mr. Reed (portrayed by Grant), becoming ensnared in his deadly game of cat-and-mouse. The film is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods and produced by Stacey Sher, Beck, Woods, Julia Glausi and Jeanette Volturno. The film will be released nationwide by A24 on November 8.
Directed by Pablo Larraín, Maria presents a tumultuous and beautiful depiction of one of the world’s most renowned artists and reimagines the legendary soprano in her final days in Paris, as Callas (Jolie)... Read More