Saville Productions has signed feature director John Waters for commercial and branded entertainment representation. The writer/director/actor helmed such cult films as Independent Spirit Awards winner Hairspray, Pecker and his debut feature Pink Flamingos, the first of a series of low-budget shock films made with his Dreamland repertory company including the actor known as Divine.
Waters joins Saville Productions’ roster of filmmakers, including: Martin Campbell (Casino Royale), Paul Haggis (Crash), Werner Herzog (Grizzly Man) and Fernando Meirelles (City Of God).
Rupert Maconick, executive producer of Saville Productions, said “John Waters is a unique filmmaker and would be a great partner for brands who want a campaign that truly stand outs.”
Added Waters, “I love the idea of directing commercials because it is the opposite of ‘auteur’ work. My name’s not even on the finished product but if I do a good job, the viewer will still suspect I had something to do with it.”
Saville produced the Herzog feature-length documentary Lo and Behold: Reveries of the Connected World for NetScout. The film premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, and was acquired for worldwide distribution by Magnolia Pictures. Saville co-produced Eddie The Eagle, starring Hugh Jackman distributed by Fox and Lionsgate. Saville’s cinematic short film Out There directed by Oscar- winning filmmaker Paul Haggis won a Cannes Gold Lion.
Saville is currently developing a slate of scripted series, documentaries and feature films in collaboration with major brands.
Jennifer Kent On Why Her Feature Directing Debut, “The Babadook,” Continues To Haunt Us
"The Babadook," when it was released 10 years ago, didn't seem to portend a cultural sensation.
It was the first film by a little-known Australian filmmaker, Jennifer Kent. It had that strange name. On opening weekend, it played in two theaters.
But with time, the long shadows of "The Babadook" continued to envelop moviegoers. Its rerelease this weekend in theaters, a decade later, is less of a reminder of a sleeper 2014 indie hit than it is a chance to revisit a horror milestone that continues to cast a dark spell.
Not many small-budget, first-feature films can be fairly said to have shifted cinema but Kent's directorial debut may be one of them. It was at the nexus of that much-debated term "elevated horror." But regardless of that label, it helped kicked off a wave of challenging, filmmaker-driven genre movies like "It Follows," "Get Out" and "Hereditary."
Kent, 55, has watched all of this — and those many "Babadook" memes — unfold over the years with a mix of elation and confusion. Her film was inspired in part by the death of her father, and its horror elements likewise arise out of the suppression of emotions. A single mother (Essie Davis) is struggling with raising her young son (Noah Wiseman) years after the tragic death of her husband. A figure from a pop-up children's book begins to appear. As things grow more intense, his name is drawn out in three chilling syllables — "Bah-Bah-Doooook" — an incantation of unprocessed grief.
Kent recently spoke from her native Australia to reflect on the origins and continuing life of "The Babadook."
Q: Given that you didn't set out to in any way "change" horror, how have you regarded the unique afterlife of "The... Read More