With an extensive track record working in South Africa, Europe, and Canada, director Marc Sidelsky has now secured his first official U.S. representation, coming aboard the roster of Cadence Films.
Sidelsky’s command of unconventional storytelling is on full display in the “Stussy X Nike” film he wrote and directed for sneaker boutique Shelflife. The piece earned a Silver Clio for direction this year. Departing from the tone of most fashion advertising, Sidelsky took a concept-based approach to crafting an engaging, stylish, darkly amusing tale where the clothes are key to the plot. The Vimeo Staff Pick is a complex balancing act; aesthetically striking and playful in a smart, offbeat way.
Sidelsky’s work straddles genres, from the exceptional design and deadpan visual comedy of his KFC Nuggets commercial to the electric coming-of-age narrative he crafted for Canadian band Dearly Beloved’s “Close Encounters,” which won Best Music Video at Ciclope Africa in 2020.
Born in Toronto to South African parents, Sidelsky graduated from the acclaimed AFDA Institute in Johannesburg and then began to work as a creative researcher at a commercial production company. Two months into the job, he directed his first spot for Volkswagen, which earned him a Silver Loerie at South Africa’s premier advertising awards. Shortly afterwards Sidelsky earned a slot in the 2001 Saatchi & Saatchi New Directors Showcase.
As to what attracts him to the short format, Sidelsky said, “What I find amazing about advertising and music videos is that they draw on experimental film, the abstract and the avant-garde…in the service of connecting with the general public. Commercial campaigns can embrace surrealism, elements of the bizarre that would be considered off-base for mainstream film and TV…audiences love brand communication that is atypical and a little subversive–it gives them a rewarding tingle.”
Regarding his new American roost, Sidelsky related, “There’s nothing middle of the road about the executions across the board. I felt a kinship with the strong aesthetic vein running through the Cadence roster…and even though my work leans into a comedic lane–for me it felt like a very comfortable fit.”
Lorenzo Ragionieri, president and executive producer of Cadence, assessed. “Marc brings an extremely clever, warm, and often hilarious voice to his films. His visual storytelling and comedic dialogue work is subtly subversive and always sharply written. The common thread throughout though is a keen eye for art direction and an unmistakable sense of style, which make Marc an obvious fit with the rest of our roster. We’re thrilled to bring his unique perspective stateside.”
Internationally Sidelsky is repped by Suneeva in Canada, Big Productions in France and The Netherlands, Massif in South Africa, and Hudy Group in Eastern Europe.
After 20 Years of Acting, Megan Park Finds Her Groove In The Director’s Chair On “My Old Ass”
Megan Park feels a little bad that her movie is making so many people cry. It's not just a single tear either — more like full body sobs.
She didn't set out to make a tearjerker with "My Old Ass," now streaming on Prime Video. She just wanted to tell a story about a young woman in conversation with her older self. The film is quite funny (the dialogue between 18-year-old and almost 40-year-old Elliott happens because of a mushroom trip that includes a Justin Bieber cover), but it packs an emotional punch, too.
Writing, Park said, is often her way of working through things. When she put pen to paper on "My Old Ass," she was a new mom and staying in her childhood bedroom during the pandemic. One night, she and her whole nuclear family slept under the same roof. She didn't know it then, but it would be the last time, and she started wondering what it would be like to have known that.
In the film, older Elliott ( Aubrey Plaza ) advises younger Elliott ( Maisy Stella ) to not be so eager to leave her provincial town, her younger brothers and her parents and to slow down and appreciate things as they are. She also tells her to stay away from a guy named Chad who she meets the next day and discovers that, unfortunately, he's quite cute.
At 38, Park is just getting started as a filmmaker. Her first, "The Fallout," in which Jenna Ortega plays a teen in the aftermath of a school shooting, had one of those pandemic releases that didn't even feel real. But it did get the attention of Margot Robbie 's production company LuckyChap Entertainment, who reached out to Park to see what other ideas she had brewing.
"They were very instrumental in encouraging me to go with it," Park said. "They're just really even-keeled, good people, which makes... Read More