Production company Sweetshop has signed acclaimed comedy director Jim Hosking for global representation spanning commercials and branded content. He had previously been handled in the ad arena by Skunk.
Hosking got his start directing promos for MTV both in the U.S. and the U.K., before turning his attention to his singular films occupying an alternate reality and making a name for himself with daringly funny and imaginative commercials for the likes of Cadbury, V Energy, Tic Tac, Tooheys and Xbox.
Hosking’s first feature, The Greasy Strangler (2016), is both a sweet and sad treatise on father/son relationships, and a cult-classic in the making about a grease-encrusted maniac who murders the innocent. The New York Times called it, “just maybe the weirdest movie ever.” Shot in L.A., it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, and won Best Comedy at the Empire Magazine Film Awards, as well as The Discovery Award at The British Independent Film Awards.
The director’s second feature film, An Evening With Beverly Luff Linn, also premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, and it stars Aubrey Plaza, Jemaine Clement, Matt Berry and Craig Robinson. Peter Bradshaw, reviewing the film for The Guardian, described it as, “an entirely ridiculous shaggy-dog story, a comedy salted with strangeness and seasoned with surreality…it is very funny, and the song about football referees is quietly amazing.”
Most recently Hosking turned his attention to TV, and created Tropical Cop Tales for Adult Swim, a surreal, genre-bending, psychedelic take on the cop procedural and possibly the most bizarre show on the home of out-there TV.
Greg Schultz, managing director and executive producer at Sweetshop USA, said, “Jim’s work is like no-one else’s. He creates characters and worlds that are eccentric, strange, tragic and hilarious at the same time. We all aim to create work that cuts through and helps the brands we’re working for stand out. There’s no doubt that Jim’s work is unique and unforgettable.
Hosking added, “I love to make distinctive, memorable work with striking characters and unexpected humanity with some finely calibrated nuanced top-secret oddness. Luckily that’s exactly what Sweetshop want me to do, so hurrah for that.”
“Heretic” and “Maria” Set As Red Carpet Premieres At AFI Fest
The American Film Institute (AFI) has announced that Heretic, the psychological thriller starring Hugh Grant, and Maria, based on the life of opera singer Maria Callas starring Angelina Jolie, will round out the Red Carpet Premieres section at this year’s AFI Fest. The Heretic Gala Screening will take place on Thursday, October 24, and the Maria Gala Screening will be held on Saturday, October 26. The complete Red Carpet Premieres section includes the world premieres of Music By John Williams, Robert Zemeckis’ Here, Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl and Clint Eastwood’s Juror #2. All Red Carpet Premieres will take place at the historic TCL Chinese Theatre. The full lineup for AFI Fest 2024 will be unveiled on October 1.
“At the heart of AFI Fest is an unwavering dedication to celebrating the best in global cinema--together,” said Bob Gazzale, AFI president and CEO. “We look forward to uniting artists and audiences once again to be inspired by the art form in a powerful sense of community.”
Heretic follows two young missionaries (Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East) who are forced to prove their faith when they knock on the wrong door and are greeted by a diabolical Mr. Reed (portrayed by Grant), becoming ensnared in his deadly game of cat-and-mouse. The film is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods and produced by Stacey Sher, Beck, Woods, Julia Glausi and Jeanette Volturno. The film will be released nationwide by A24 on November 8.
Directed by Pablo Larraín, Maria presents a tumultuous and beautiful depiction of one of the world’s most renowned artists and reimagines the legendary soprano in her final days in Paris, as Callas (Jolie)... Read More