Toronto commercial studio Westside has added award-winning director Angie Bird to its roster for Canadian representation. Bird was previously handled in Canada by Skin & Bones; she continues to be repped by Chelsea in the U.S. market. The Melbourne-born and raised director is known for her captivating and visually striking work for a number of multinational brands, including P&G, Gillette, Dove, Kellogg’s, Allstate & Tim Horton’s. “First Shave,” her 2019 ad for Gillette documenting a father teaching his young trans son how to shave for the first time, won a coveted Glass Lion at Cannes and was shared online by celebrities including Laverne Cox, Wanda Sykes and Debra Messing. The ad also drew the ire of U.S. conservative commentator Tomi Lahren, which Bird considers a badge of honor. Bird also received the 2016 Young Directors Award at Cannes for “Mean Tweets,” a spot for the non-profit Raising the Roof which depicted the daily struggles of the homeless. She was also shortlisted for a D&AD Next Director award in 2017 for her Salvation Army “Give Registry” campaign. In 2019 Bird shot a national U.S. campaign for the brand Verzenio, traveling to multiple American cities to interview women surviving breast cancer, telling their stories in an emotionally raw yet empowering and uplifting way. In addition to her commercial work, Bird is also a film director whose debut short You Won’t Regret that Tattoo had its world premiere at Hot Docs. The film, which explores the meaning and memories behind the tattoos of an older generation, was a Vimeo staff pick….
“Sonic the Hedgehog 3” Tops Weekend Box Office
In the holiday season battle of big-budget family movies, Paramount Pictures' "Sonic the Hedgehog 3" sped past the Walt Disney Co.'s "Mufasa: The Lion King" to take the top spot at the box office ahead of the lucrative Christmas corridor in theaters.
"Sonic the Hedgehog 3" debuted with $62 million in ticket sales over the weekend, according to studio estimates. With strong reviews (86% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) and a high score from audiences (an "A" on CinemaScore), "Sonic 3" is well positioned to be the top choice in cinemas during the busiest moviegoing period of the year.
It was telling of some wider trends that "Sonic 3" — made for $122 million — bested one of Disney's top properties. Videogame adaptations, once among the most derided movie genres, have emerged as one of the most dependable box office forces in recent years. The two previous "Sonic" movies together grossed more $700 million worldwide and the third installment appears likely to do better than both of them. A fourth "Sonic" movie is already in development.
"Mufasa," however, was humbled in its opening weekend, with its $35 million in domestic ticket sales coming in notably shy of expectations . The photorealistic "Lion King" prequel even opened wider than "Sonic 3," launching on 4,100 theaters and gobbling up most IMAX screens, compared with 3,761 locations for "Sonic 3."
Though "Mufasa's" reviews were poor (56% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes), audiences gave it an "A-" CinemaScore.
"Sonic 3" nearly doubled the haul for "Mufasa," which cost more than $200 million to make. Disney could look to $87.2 million in international sales to help make up the difference. The third "Sonic" will rollout in most overseas markets in the coming weeks.
In director Jeff... Read More