By HEATHER JACOBS
Swedish director Joakim Sandstrom has joined bicoastal/international The Artists Company for representation in the U.S. and out of its London office. This is the first foray stateside for the 28-year-old director/cinematographer, who will continue to work in Sweden through Imperial Films, the one-man production company he started two years ago.
Sandstrom first approached Debbie Turner, executive producer of The Artists Company’s London office a year ago. After the pair struck up a friendship, Sandstrom kept Turner updated as his reel developed, and dropped in to see her every time he was in the U.K. "Debbie and I watched my reel together," he said. "She seemed genuinely interested in my style, so it felt special with her from the very beginning. Just prior to Christmas, we started to seriously discuss working together. I’m very excited about working in the U.S., since my work so far has been European."
Sandstrom has explored his passion for film since childhood. His first experiments were horror movies shot on Super 8 in the forest near his Stockholm home; he funded the films through part-time work. He is largely self-taught in the art of filmmaking-at university, he studied construction engineering. During compulsory military service, Sandstrom convinced his superiors that his talent would be better utilized if he made documentaries about the military’s activities. By the end of his tenure, he had produced five films.
In ’93, he became involved in the startup of TV4 Sundsvall, a Swedish TV channel. There, he worked as a producer, cameraman and editor, and was one of the first people in Sweden to edit on an Avid. After a short stint as a music producer, he purchased a 16mm camera and started directing, initially working on music promos. Upon launching Imperial Films, he expanded his reel to include commercial work.
Judge Upholds Dismissal Of Involuntary Manslaughter Charge Against Alec Baldwin In “Rust” Shooting
A New Mexico judge has upheld her decision to dismiss an involuntary manslaughter charge against Alec Baldwin in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on the set of a Western movie.
In a ruling Thursday, state District Court Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer stood by her July decision to dismiss an involuntary manslaughter charge against Baldwin. She said prosecutors did not raise any factual or legal arguments that would justify reversing her decision.
"Because the state's amended motion raises arguments previously made, and arguments that the state elected not to raise earlier, the court does not find the amended motion well taken," the judge wrote, adding that the request was also untimely.
A spokesperson for Baldwin's lawyers said Friday that they had no immediate reaction to teh decision.
The case was thrown out halfway through trial on allegations that police and prosecutors withheld evidence from the defense in the 2021 death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film "Rust."
Baldwin's trial was upended by revelations that ammunition was brought into the Santa Fe County sheriff's office in March by a man who said it could be related to Hutchins' killing. Prosecutors said they deemed the ammo unrelated and unimportant, while Baldwin's lawyers say investigators "buried" the evidence in a separate case file and filed a successful motion to dismiss.
Special prosecutor Kari Morrissey can now decide whether to appeal to a higher court.
Baldwin, the lead actor and co-producer for "Rust," was pointing a gun at Hutchins during a rehearsal on a movie set outside Santa Fe in October 2021 when the revolver went off, killing Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza. Baldwin has said he pulled back the hammer —... Read More