Ralph Fiennes and David Cronenberg are to receive lifetime achievement awards at the London Film Festival, organizers said Tuesday.
Fiennes will receive a British Film Institute Fellowship in recognition of “a singular career” that has blended arthouse dramas and mainstream hits.
Fiennes — who plays evil Lord Voldemort in “Harry Potter” series — said he was “extremely honored and delighted” by the award.
Fiennes’ directorial debut, an adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Coriolanus,” will screen during the Oct. 12-27 festival.
Cronenberg, the director of “Videodrome,” ”The Fly” and “Crash,” will receive the same honor in recognition of films “exploring the darker impulses and inner lives of his characters.”
Cronenberg said he was thrilled to be the first Canadian to receive the award.
“British cinema has been a potent inspiration for me, and to be associated with this particular group of filmmakers is tremendously exhilarating,” he said.
The pair are due to receive the prizes at the London Film Festival awards on Oct. 26.
Previous BFI fellows include “Slumdog Millionaire” director Danny Boyle and actor John Hurt.
Organizers also announced a shortlist for the festival’s best film prize. The nine finalists, selected by artistic director Sandra Hebron, include French silent movie “The Artist”; Aleksandr Sokurov’s Venice Film festival winner “Faust”; British director Steve McQueen’s body- and soul-baring “Shame”; and Lynne Ramsay’s high school massacre drama “We Need to Talk About Kevin.”
Alexander Payne’s “The Descendants,” which stars George Clooney as a neglectful father of two daughters whose wife falls into a coma, is the only American film among the finalists.
The winner will be chosen by a panel that includes “Shakespeare in Love” director John Madden, actress Gillian Anderson and artist/director Sam Taylor Wood.
AD&Co. Launches Studio A; Davida Hall To Head New Venture As Sr. Director of Creative Content
Female-founded and led creative marketing agency AD&Co. has opened Studio A. The new venture will serve as AD&Co.’s in-house social brand content division, focused on developing and producing digital programming for advertising, social media, and influencer marketing campaigns designed to reach today’s audiences on the most popular and pivotal platforms. Davida Hall has been named to head Studio A as sr. director of creative content. She shifts over from AD&Co. where she held the same title since December 2023. Hall’s affiliations prior to AD&Co. include PopSugar and Studio71.
Amy Demas, founder and chief creative officer of AD&Co., said, “We understand content is king-—or queen—and that our clients need to engage their customer communities where they live. That inspired the logical expansion of AD&Co with Studio A, which is committed to producing only the most engaging and authentic brand stories.”
Studio A will harness both AD&Co’s and Hall’s deep expertise in the lifestyle sector, as content creators and avid consumers. Specializing in reaching audiences where they spend their time, the studio is immersed in social media, pop culture, and current trends, expertly crafting visuals, language, and storytelling to reinforce client brand identities and cut through the noise.
Studio A debuts with the “This Is Me” campaign for Love + Craft + Beauty, a brand dedicated to embracing and promoting diversity within the beauty space. “This Is Me” highlights Gen Z’s affinity for radical self-expression that allows individuals to tell their own stories, free from labels, using beauty and fashion as tools of authenticity. The campaign showcases models celebrating their unique qualities to present... Read More