“Forest” opens on a caravan of cars stopped in a dense, young Douglas Fir forest. It’s quiet, with only the chirps of birds, as we see a bearded man in a dingy rabbit costume taking in his surroundings and nibbling on a carrot. A tall, serious-looking man in a business suit approaches with a coffee mug in hand, followed by another “suit” with a briefcase; accompanying them are lumberjacks sporting hardhats and chainsaws.
The tall “suit” says to the rabbit, “Bob, you know why we’re here.” The rabbit replies, nervously nibbling away, “Yeah, I know.” The suit continues, “We own your home now. You’ll have to leave.” The rabbit stops nibbling, spits and challenges, “Make me,” then gives one of lumberjacks a swift kick in the groin area.
The bunny is quickly overtaken and the crew starts cutting down trees. “No!” cries the rabbit, and he flees into the forest. He makes it to what appears to be a meadow, but sees it’s actually a clear-cut field of tree stumps. The rabbit screams as we rise high above the stumps.
The super, “Every day, 1.5 million trees are cut down to make cigarettes,” and the Virginia Tobacco Settlement Foundation’s ydouthink.com logo closes out the PSA.
Adam Cameron of Limey, Los Angeles, directed the multi-spot package, including “Forest,” for Barber Martin Agency, Richmond, Va.
The DP was Giorgio Scali.
Editor was Frank Effron of Cut+Run, Santa Monica.
Michelle Satter To Be Honored At Sundance Film Festival Gala
The nonprofit Sundance Institute today announced details for the 2025 Sundance Film Festival’s gala fundraiser, Celebrating Sundance Institute, which will take place on Friday, January 24, 2025 at the Grand Hyatt Deer Valley in Utah. The event will be an evening in celebration of Michelle Satter, founding sr. director of artist programs at Sundance Institute, for her longstanding commitment to nurturing artists and cultivating independent film through the Sundance Labs, where visionary artists convene to develop groundbreaking projects through an in-depth creative process, for the past four decades. The annual Vanguard Awards will be presented during the evening to Sean Wang, writer and director of Dìdi, and Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie, co-directors of Sugarcane, who premiered their films at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.
The annual gala enables the nonprofit to raise funds to support independent artists year-round through labs, grants, and public programming that nurture artists from all over the world. The 2025 event is made possible with the generous support of Google TV. The Festival will take place from January 23–February 2, 2025, in person in Park City and Salt Lake City, with a selection of titles available online from January 30–February 2, 2025 for audiences across the country to discover bold independent storytelling.
“For over four decades Michelle has been devoted to truly championing independent storytellers,” said Amanda Kelso, acting CEO of Sundance Institute. “She has encouraged artists to own their voice, learn their craft, become fierce leaders, and develop their resilience in our changing ecosystem. Her life-long commitment to supporting artists, especially in underrepresented... Read More