Director Kiku Ohe has come aboard the roster of Superprime, marking his first representation in the U.S. for commercials and branded content. The Japanese-Australian filmmaker has established himself internationally across a range of film, spot and storytelling projects. He continues to be repped in France by Control Films and in Australia and New Zealand by Exit Films.
At press time, Ohe was in the midst of his first project at Superprime–an assignment out of Campbell Ewald for Valero.
Ohe’s background in design and music informs his creative approach. His versatility as a director has seen him turn out commercials for such brands as House of Travel, Anchor, Nokia, Virgin and Google as well as art-based projects for collaborators including Ksubi, Kirin Beer, Tame Impala and Daft Punk.
On the long-form front, Ohe directed the upcoming narrative feature film The Lines.
First-Time Feature Directors Make Major Splash At AFI Fest, Generate Oscar Buzz
Two first-time feature directors who are generating Oscar buzz this awards season were front and center this past weekend at AFI Fest in Hollywood. Rachel Morrison, who made history as the first woman nominated for a Best Cinematography Oscar---on the strength of Mudbound in 2018--brought her feature directorial debut, The Fire Inside (Amazon MGM Studios), to the festival on Sunday (10/27), and shared insights into the film during a conversation session immediately following the screening. This came a day after William Goldenberg, an Oscar-winning editor for Argo in 2013, had his initial foray into feature directing, Unstoppable (Amazon MGM Studios), showcased at the AFI proceedings. He too spoke after the screening during a panel discussion. The Fire Inside--which made its world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival--tells the story of Claressa “T-Rex” Shields (portrayed by Ryan Destiny), a Black boxer from Flint, Mich., who trained to become the first woman in U.S. history to win an Olympic Gold Medal in the sport. She achieved this feat--with the help of coach Jason Crutchfield (Brian Tyree Henry)--only to find that her victory at the Summer Games came with relatively little fanfare and no endorsement deals. So much for the hope that the historic accomplishment would be a ticket out of socioeconomic purgatory for Shields and her family. It seemed like yet another setback in a cycle of adversity throughout Shields’ life but she persevered, going on to win her second Gold Medal at the next Olympics and becoming a champion for gender equality and equitable pay for women in sports. Shields has served as a source of inspiration for woman athletes worldwide--as well as to the community of... Read More