Epoch Films has brought director Jessica Sanders aboard its roster. The filmmaker’s credits include After Innocence, a documentary that scored the Special Jury Prize at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival, and the documentary short SING!, which earned an Oscar nomination in ’02.
Among her recent endeavors is a short helping to kick off Sony’s “Make.Believe” campaign for agency 180LA. The short charmingly tells Sander’s creative, personal story about being a filmmaker, including relating insights into her background such as having parents who are Academy Award-winning documentarians. Sanders directed the project when she was at Nonfiction Unlimited, the house which handled her for commercials and branded content prior to her joining Epoch.
“What prompted us to sign Jessica is not only the ability to tell human stories in an artful, entertaining way but her entire persona. She is a great creative and cultural fit for Epoch Films. We need both,” said Jerry Solomon, managing partner of Epoch. “Although Jessica comes from a documentary background, it’s too limiting to describe her talents. She is a filmmaker with a wide array of experiences and influences to draw upon. Her work is graphic and beautiful, and most of all honest.”
Over the course of her career, Sanders has tackled subjects ranging from the wrongful conviction of an innocent man to a community children’s chorus facing budget cutbacks to a girl born with the birthmark of the Great Wall of China to September 11th. She has shot such notables as Al Gore, Sacha Baron Cohen and George Takei.
“A Complete Unknown,” “The Brutalist,” “Gladiator II,” “Wicked” Among ADG Excellence in Production Design Award Nominees
The Art Directors Guild (ADG, IATSE Local 800) has unveiled the nominees for its 29th Annual Excellence in Production Design Awards. The ceremony, hosted by actress and comedian Rachael Harris, will take place on Feb. 15, at the InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown.
Among the motion picture nominees are the production designers on A Complete Unknown, The Brutalist, Gladiator II, Nosferatu and Saturday Night in the Period Feature Film category; and Alien: Romulus, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Dune: Part Two, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga and Wicked in the Fantasy Feature Film category.
Television nominations span the likes of Bridgerton, Fallout, House of the Dragon, The Lord of the Rings: Pachinko, Rings of Power, Ripley and Shogun.
The ADG Awards celebrate excellence in production design across theatrical motion pictures, television, commercials, music videos, and animated feature films. The 2025 Cinematic Imagery Award will be presented to Academy Award®-nominated director and filmmaker Jason Reitman, whose body of work includes Juno, Up in the Air and Saturday Night.
“This year’s nominees showcase the incredible artistry and vision that define our craft and our industry. We’re thrilled to bring the Guild together to celebrate the achievements of these incredible production designers and their art departments,” shared award show producers Michael Allen Glover, ADG, and Megan Elizabeth Bell, ADG, in a joint statement.
In addition, the ADG will honor Lisa Frazza, Barbara Mesney, Dan Sweetman, and J. Dennis Washington with Lifetime Achievement Awards. Legendary production designer Carl Jules Weyl will be inducted into the ADG Hall of Fame as part of the... Read More