Director Ashley Avis has joined the roster of Seed, the Chicago-headquartered production house which maintains an office in Los Angeles. Avis has directed for clients such as Coca-Cola, Red Bull, Footlocker, Pfizer, and won the 2016 Mercedes-Benz Award for her auto-fashion fusion spot “Bespoke” at the Mercedes-Benz Bokeh South African International Fashion Film Festival.
On the long-form front, Avis has been greenlit for her next feature, 800, which she wrote and will be directing. The film is being produced by Cary Granat, Michael Flaherty and Avis’ husband, producer Ed Winters. 800 is based on the true story of two-time Olympic 800 meter runner Prince Mumba whom Avis met while he was an Uber driver and training for the Olympics in Rio. While the film has a sports aspect, it is primarily a love story centered around the themes of overcoming impossible odds and having a steadfast belief in oneself.
Last year, Avis made her feature film debut with Deserted, an artistic psychological survival story that she also penned, starring Mischa Barton. Avis’ second feature, being released this year, is Adolescence, staring Tommy Flanagan, Elisabeth Rohm, India Eisley and Jere Burns.
Headed by executive producer Roy Skillicorn, Seed has a directorial lineup which includes Avis, Tim Abshire, David Rosen, Jason Lindsey, Anthony Garth, Rick Wayne, Reuben Wu, Kristina Perreault and Corey Rich.
Prior to joining Seed, Avis directed commercials via Winterstone, the company (formerly known as Alchemy Pictures) formed by her and Winter. Winterstone is also Avis’ feature filmmaking roost.
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