Black Dog Films has added director, photographer and mixed media artist Hannah Bon to its roster for U.S. representation spanning music videos and branded creative projects. Her latest work with Black Dog is the newly released video for Q’s “Not Alone,” a funk and soul-driven track featuring the rising artist portraying several different sides of himself to suggest that no one has to face their struggles all by themselves.
Black Dog marks Bon’s first production house representation. Brazilian, Japanese and Dutch, Bon has a body of work that’s inspired by her Japanese heritage, fashion and surrealism. She constantly explores new techniques to incorporate into her work, for instance, blending digital and fine art, 3D animations, collage and unconventional materials. That innovative sensibility is reflected in her distinctive films for brands such as Photo/Genics + Co., Anine Bing and Ladygunn magazine. Her original film, Replica, for Parisian haute couture house Maison Margiela, won Best Fashion Film last year at the Aesthetica Short Film Festival.
Bon also directed the globally celebrated short film Paired Flowers, a modern retelling of “Takasago,” a Japanese Noh theatre play, a form of theatre involving music, dance and drama. Her modern retelling in Paired Flowers received Silver for Best Fashion Film at 1.4 and made the Top 10 at Berlin Commercial Festival. It was also curated by creative tastemakers including Nowness Asia, Booooooom, and Beyond the Short.
“We’re so excited to be working with Hannah, who brings strong storytelling, a distinctive aesthetic and an inventive style to all her work, not to mention a multitude of cultural influences from living in different countries and speaking four different languages,” said Jeff Pantaleo, executive producer, Black Dog Films.
“Hannah brings a lot of passion and creativity to her work,” added Molly Bohas, executive producer, Black Dog Films. “Nia Andrews and her team at Columbia recognized that from the start. Watching her work closely with Q to bring his song to life was pretty amazing, and her commitment to directing, then editing ‘Not Alone’ really paid off with an awesome video for a great song.”
“I’m really excited to be a part of the Black Dog family,” Bon said. “The journey together with them already feels so right and I really appreciate Black Dog for encouraging me to be myself and share my unique perspective as a director. Working with Q was incredibly inspiring and getting the opportunity to direct for such an unbelievable track was a dream come true. I am deeply grateful to the crew and team who were beyond amazing and supported me every step of the way.”
Rom-Com Mainstay Hugh Grant Shifts To The Dark Side and He’s Never Been Happier
After some difficulties connecting to a Zoom, Hugh Grant eventually opts to just phone instead.
"Sorry about that," he apologizes. "Tech hell." Grant is no lover of technology. Smart phones, for example, he calls the "devil's tinderbox."
"I think they're killing us. I hate them," he says. "I go on long holidays from them, three or four days at at time. Marvelous."
Hell, and our proximity to it, is a not unrelated topic to Grant's new film, "Heretic." In it, two young Mormon missionaries (Chloe East, Sophie Thatcher) come knocking on a door they'll soon regret visiting. They're welcomed in by Mr. Reed (Grant), an initially charming man who tests their faith in theological debate, and then, in much worse things.
After decades in romantic comedies, Grant has spent the last few years playing narcissists, weirdos and murders, often to the greatest acclaim of his career. But in "Heretic," a horror thriller from A24, Grant's turn to the dark side reaches a new extreme. The actor who once charmingly stammered in "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and who danced to the Pointer Sisters in "Love Actually" is now doing heinous things to young people in a basement.
"It was a challenge," Grant says. "I think human beings need challenges. It makes your beer taste better in the evening if you've climbed a mountain. He was just so wonderfully (expletive)-up."
"Heretic," which opens in theaters Friday, is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, co-writers of "A Quiet Place." In Grant's hands, Mr. Reed is a divinely good baddie — a scholarly creep whose wry monologues pull from a wide range of references, including, fittingly, Radiohead's "Creep."
In an interview, Grant spoke about these and other facets of his character, his journey... Read More