Director Omri Cohen has joined Anonymous Content for commercial representation. Cohen earned a slot in SHOOT‘s 2011 New Directors Showcase in part on the strength of his Nike “Yards” spot for the World Cup of Cricket. At the time he was with Green Dot Films, his roost prior to signing with Anonymous.
Cohen’s break into directing came in 2007 with his contest-winning music video for the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ song “Charlie.” He then brought his style of intimate, emotion-driven storytelling to the commercial world with such work as “Yards.” He quickly gained momentum as a commercial filmmaker, directing more campaigns for Nike, as well as ads for Google, Microsoft, McDonald’s, Norwegian Cruise Line and Amazon, among others.
His work is marked by a prime motivation–to uncover the unpredictable beauty of human nature. In his “Los Fearless” campaign for Nike, Cohen documents the routines of star athletes, while his framing suggests the broader influence of their neighborhood cultures on their successes. For Amazon, he captures this raw realism with portrait-like glimpses of people using their Kindles. It’s his intimate study of others that creates a sense of the familiar for the viewer—like a vivid memory—no matter what the situation.
Jeff Baron, sr. executive producer of Anonymous Content, said of Cohen, “He possesses his own original vision and drive, and instinctively understands what best reflects the idea for each particular project–be it documentary, lifestyle vignettes or narrative storytelling.”
Review: Drew Hancock Makes Feature Directorial Debut With “Companion”
"Iris, wake up!"
Early in "Companion," lovely Iris and her nerdy-nice boyfriend Josh are driving to a secluded lake house for a stay with friends. Iris wakes from a nap and lovingly tells Josh she was dreaming about him. They reminisce about how they first met at the supermarket. All those oranges tumbling onto the floor! Ha ha.
In 20 minutes, absolutely everything about this sweet scene will be turned on its head in a terrifying and sinister manner. You will be surprised and shocked. Unless you saw the trailer, which reveals the whole thing.
And so we begin with a dilemma, dear moviegoer. "Companion," an exceedingly clever and entertaining sci-fi-horror-thriller-comedy by Drew Hancock in his feature debut, has more twists and turns than a corkscrew. But it's utterly impossible to write about the film without revealing the first of those twists.
So if you like coming in totally cold to a movie, then we're sorry to see you go, but stop reading! Otherwise, stay with us — we promise there'll be more surprises to come.
Moving on: Iris (Sophie Thatcher) and Josh (Jack Quaid) arrive at the estate. A nervous Iris stops at the door, worried that Josh's friends won't like her. He urges her to simply brighten up and act happy.
Kat (Megan Suri), Josh's ex, greets them. She is gorgeous, and frosty to Iris. Eli (Harvey Guillén) and his handsome boyfriend Patrick (Lukas Gage) are nicer. Then there's Sergey (Rupert Friend), Kat's aloof Russian boyfriend — sugar daddy, really — and owner of the house. The password to his devices is Stalin's birthday, which tells you something.
Things get dark, quickly. The next morning, someone dies. They will not be the first — this is a horror movie. And suddenly Iris, caked in blood,... Read More