The international directing duo of Inti Calfat and Dirk Verheye, best known within the industry as Norman Bates, has joined production company BRF for representation in the U.S. and Stockholm. Norman Bates had previously been handled by production house Stink.
Calfat and Verheye first met in a scriptwriting course seven years ago. After working together on a TV show, they joined forces to create their first-ever music video as the newly branded Norman Bates for Rapper Roscoe called “Lowlands.” At the time, Verheye was focused on documentaries and commercials, while Calfat had a classical art history background. By combining their expertise, along with an obsessive eye for detail and a commitment to tell stories, the duo sparked a natural evolution to their work. Over the course of their careers together, they’ve directed film, documentaries and award-winning music videos, and have produced successful advertising campaigns for brands like HTC, Coca Cola, Uniqlo, and Mercedes.
The directors took Samsonite customers on a surreal journey with its “Enjoy Every Second” global campaign, and in 2017, they shot their first fiction series–Over Water for Belgian network VRT. The series is a gritty crime drama set around the port city of Antwerp.
“I’ve been impressed with Norman Bates’ authentic and emotional approach to their work for some time now,” said Pelle Nilsson, CEO of BRF. “The way they combine surrealism and realism in their work has always made them stand out to me. They bring an artistic edge that will resonate well with our clients, and within our roster of creatively driven directors.”
Currently, Norman Bates is developing a new fiction series and a feature film. Under BRF, they will look to broaden the scope of their storytelling in both short and long form by working with BRF’s head of original content, Philip Westgren.
Verheye said, “Inti and I continue to look for new ways to not only evolve our current scope of work, but to also expand into different types of projects than what we’re used to. We’re joining BRF because we feel it will give us the opportunity to expand our expertise, and will offer us the right kind of flexibility to truly create something special with everything we do.”
Calfat added, “BRF gets what we do and understands where we want to venture to next within our careers. They are giving us an amazing opportunity to write our story in the states and expand into Stockholm.”
BRF maintains offices in Los Angeles, Stockholm and Oslo.
Rom-Com Mainstay Hugh Grant Shifts To The Dark Side and He’s Never Been Happier
After some difficulties connecting to a Zoom, Hugh Grant eventually opts to just phone instead.
"Sorry about that," he apologizes. "Tech hell." Grant is no lover of technology. Smart phones, for example, he calls the "devil's tinderbox."
"I think they're killing us. I hate them," he says. "I go on long holidays from them, three or four days at at time. Marvelous."
Hell, and our proximity to it, is a not unrelated topic to Grant's new film, "Heretic." In it, two young Mormon missionaries (Chloe East, Sophie Thatcher) come knocking on a door they'll soon regret visiting. They're welcomed in by Mr. Reed (Grant), an initially charming man who tests their faith in theological debate, and then, in much worse things.
After decades in romantic comedies, Grant has spent the last few years playing narcissists, weirdos and murders, often to the greatest acclaim of his career. But in "Heretic," a horror thriller from A24, Grant's turn to the dark side reaches a new extreme. The actor who once charmingly stammered in "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and who danced to the Pointer Sisters in "Love Actually" is now doing heinous things to young people in a basement.
"It was a challenge," Grant says. "I think human beings need challenges. It makes your beer taste better in the evening if you've climbed a mountain. He was just so wonderfully (expletive)-up."
"Heretic," which opens in theaters Friday, is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, co-writers of "A Quiet Place." In Grant's hands, Mr. Reed is a divinely good baddie — a scholarly creep whose wry monologues pull from a wide range of references, including, fittingly, Radiohead's "Creep."
In an interview, Grant spoke about these and other facets of his character, his journey... Read More