Havoc Content has added director Jeannette Godoy to its roster for exclusive representation in the U.S. and Hispanic markets.
A first generation Mexican-American filmmaker and storyteller, Godoy started her career as a choreographer where she worked in film, television and commercials. She is most known for having choreographed the hit video, “Baby Got Back,” by Sir Mix A Lot.
Her directorial debut with a commercial for Bridgestone Tires, titled “A Boy and His Tire,” earned her recognition at Cannes for its beautiful visuals and subtle, yet emotional, performance. The spot received a nomination for the Young Director Award at the Cannes International Advertising Festival, and helped earn Godoy inclusion in SHOOT’s 2011 New Directors Showcase.
With over a decade of experience, Godoy has turned out commercials and content for numerous brands including Nike, Bumble and PetSmart. Godoy’s work for Nike Women has taken her on shoots around the world, directing their professional athletes, some of whom include world champion USA Soccer team members, Carli Lloyd and Alex Morgan. In addition to her commercial work for Bumble, Godoy also created and directed their content series, Pure Corazón, presented by Bumble. Prior to joining Havoc Content, she had most recently been repped by production house Hummingbird.
Godoy has focused her career working on projects that empower, enlighten, and do something productive for the world. A passionate advocate for Down Syndrome awareness, she actively promotes the inclusion of people with disabilities in the advertising community. Her documentary, Free 2 Be Me, aired at the 2015 Special Olympics World Games, and screened at multiple film festivals.
The year has seen Godoy direct her first TV episode–for HBO Max’s upcoming family comedy The Garcias. The show was shot on location in Puerto Aventuras, Mexico, the country Godoy’s father is from, making the TV project particularly significant project for the director. Having grown up not knowing that filmmaking was a career possibility, and working as the only female director on the show, the experience epitomized her journey as a filmmaker. In addition to this, Godoy has also written a TV pilot which she now has in development. Tapping into her choreography background, the show is a Latinx, young adult, dance drama.
Godoy was drawn to Havoc by its owner and executive producer, Leslie Harro. Godoy said of Harro, “She’s built a successful company on her own. She’s super smart, funny, and totally committed to a creative partnership with her directors. She’s a mom who, like me, loves being a mom as much as she loves working in this business – and we’re both unapologetic about that. On top of that, she also comes from a Mexican American background, and we look like we could be cousins! I’m so looking forward to having a close working relationship with Leslie as my EP, to help curate my career and expand the opportunities for me to meet and work with new creatives.”
Harro commented, “Jeannette is the perfect fit for Havoc, starting with her incredible spirit as a human being. She is an authentic director with beautiful work. And as much experience as she already has, I truly believe she is just getting started. We are finally getting to a place in our industry where inclusion is being taken seriously. One of the most important things since the start of Havoc has been working with and elevating diverse directors. Jeannette is Mexican American and has worked tirelessly to be taken seriously. She deserves every opportunity to thrive at the highest level. We could not be more excited to have her, and we will do everything we can to support her goals.”
Review: Malcolm Washington Makes His Feature Directing Debut With “The Piano Lesson”
An heirloom piano takes on immense significance for one family in 1936 Pittsburgh in August Wilson's "The Piano Lesson." Generational ties also permeate the film adaptation, in which Malcolm Washington follows in his father Denzel Washington's footsteps in helping to bring the entirety of The Pittsburgh Cycle — a series of 10 plays — to the screen.
Malcolm Washington did not start from scratch in his accomplished feature filmmaking debut. He enlisted much of the cast from the recent Broadway revival with Samuel L. Jackson (Doaker Charles), his brother, John David Washington (Boy Willie), Ray Fisher (Lymon) and Michael Potts (Whining Boy). Berniece, played by Danielle Brooks in the play, is now beautifully portrayed by Danielle Deadwyler. With such rich material and a cast for whom it's second nature, it would be hard, one imagines, to go wrong. Jackson's own history with the play goes back to its original run in 1987 when he was Boy Willie.
It's not the simplest thing to make a play feel cinematic, but Malcolm Washington was up to the task. His film opens up the world of the Charles family beyond the living room. In fact, this adaptation, which Washington co-wrote with "Mudbound" screenwriter Virgil Williams, goes beyond Wilson's text and shows us the past and the origins of the intricately engraved piano that's central to all the fuss. It even opens on a big, action-filled set piece in 1911, during which the piano is stolen from a white family's home. Another fleshes out Doaker's monologue in which he explains to the uninitiated, Fisher's Lymon, and the audience, the tortured history of the thing. While it might have been nice to keep the camera on Jackson, such a great, grounding presence throughout, the good news is that he really makes... Read More