JOJX has added Alan Masferrer to it directorial roster. This is his first U.S. representation, having established himself as an emerging talent in Europe, the U.K., and China.
Catalonian-born Masferrer has helmed campaigns for BMW, Bombay Sapphire, Moncler, San Miguel, among others, in addition to music videos and fashion films. His work has received accolades and awards from across the globe, including recognition from UKMVA, MTV, and Ciclope, as well as several Vimeo Staff Picks.
Masferrer’s work defies genre and challenges convention. In BMW’s "Joy at First Sight," the wonders of the universe unfold in the imagination of a young girl who dreams of becoming an astronaut. Alongside her father and stuffed monkey, the trio set out on a Milky Way-inspired highway in the family BMW to explore moon-like terrain under a star-filled night sky. In a spot for San Miguel Manila, the doors to the serene and the surreal, as well as the hidden and forbidden, are swung wide open through a single sip of beer. Hypnotic and intriguing, the film extends an invitation to imbibe and explore. Unexpected, fascinating, and provocative, Masferrer’s video for Klyne’s "Lend Me Another Name" explores what happens when a woman eats a few unusual eggs, only to find herself at the mercy of an octopus who contorts and transforms into something other.
“We’ve been following the work of Alan Masferrer for several years now and are continually transfixed by his creations,” said Jackson Morton, partner and executive producer at the Los Angeles-based JOJX. “Alan’s unique vision and unconventional approach to filmmaking explore the wonder, beauty, and intrigue that surrounds us. We’re looking forward to carving out opportunities for him to explore the depths of his imagination.”
“I’m really excited about this new partnership with JOJX because they share my passion for continuing to push the boundaries of filmmaking,” said Masferrer. “There’s a tremendous lifeforce and pulse of creativity that runs throughout the team and the roster, and I know we’re going to produce innovative, thought-provoking, and beautiful together.”
Masferrer is also repped by Friend in the U.K., Hamlet in Asia/France/Belgium, Grayskull in Spain, Antidote in Ireland, Rekorder in Germany, The Box Films in Italy, and Landia in Argentina/Brazil/Mexico.
Review: Malcolm Washington Makes His Feature Directing Debut With “The Piano Lesson”
An heirloom piano takes on immense significance for one family in 1936 Pittsburgh in August Wilson's "The Piano Lesson." Generational ties also permeate the film adaptation, in which Malcolm Washington follows in his father Denzel Washington's footsteps in helping to bring the entirety of The Pittsburgh Cycle — a series of 10 plays — to the screen.
Malcolm Washington did not start from scratch in his accomplished feature filmmaking debut. He enlisted much of the cast from the recent Broadway revival with Samuel L. Jackson (Doaker Charles), his brother, John David Washington (Boy Willie), Ray Fisher (Lymon) and Michael Potts (Whining Boy). Berniece, played by Danielle Brooks in the play, is now beautifully portrayed by Danielle Deadwyler. With such rich material and a cast for whom it's second nature, it would be hard, one imagines, to go wrong. Jackson's own history with the play goes back to its original run in 1987 when he was Boy Willie.
It's not the simplest thing to make a play feel cinematic, but Malcolm Washington was up to the task. His film opens up the world of the Charles family beyond the living room. In fact, this adaptation, which Washington co-wrote with "Mudbound" screenwriter Virgil Williams, goes beyond Wilson's text and shows us the past and the origins of the intricately engraved piano that's central to all the fuss. It even opens on a big, action-filled set piece in 1911, during which the piano is stolen from a white family's home. Another fleshes out Doaker's monologue in which he explains to the uninitiated, Fisher's Lymon, and the audience, the tortured history of the thing. While it might have been nice to keep the camera on Jackson, such a great, grounding presence throughout, the good news is that he really makes... Read More