Scheme Engine has brought director and writer Kimberly Stuckwisch aboard its roster, marking her first U.S. commercial representation.
In 2020, Stuckwisch burst onto the directing scene with several acclaimed music videos including “Someone Else’s Problem” for Jeremy Ivey, which won Best Rock Video/Newcomer at the 2021 UK Music Video Award (UKMVA). Headlining issues like homelessness and climate change, the film is emblematic of Stuckwisch’s gift for bringing pressing social issues into the cinematic landscape in contemporary and creative ways. She took home Gold for Best International Music Video at the Kinsale Shark Awards for Samm Henshaw’s “The World Is Mine.” And for Broken Bells’ “Good Luck” video, she won the New Generation Award at the Berlin Commercial Awards, two bronze Clios for “Best Music Video” and “Direction,” and was shortlisted for a UKMVA and a 1.4 Award.
Stuckwisch directed Olivia Rodrigo’s 27-minute concert film Sour Prom, a hyperreal journey to and through a prom, nominated for Best Special Video Project at the UKMVAs. In fashion, Stuckwisch directed the films Jungle Red and Lightning Strikes, a musical starring Karen Elson, for Jeremy Scott and Moschino. She is in competition at the MVPAs for Best New Director. Currently, Stuckwisch is finishing production on her first feature-length documentary, The Kids Are Not Alright.
Scheme Engine EP Sheira Rees-Davies said of Stuckwisch, “I have known her for years and applaud her light-speed progress in directing over the past two years. We are committed to focusing on diverse, young, and exciting directors, and Kimberley is a lovely complement to our roster. We look forward to supporting her artistry and strong creative vision.”
Stuckwisch said of Scheme Engine, “The creative pulse and boundary-breaking vitality that lies at their core is in sync with my own process and values. Together, I believe we’ll be able to continue breaking through boundaries while making memorable films in the process.”
“Kimberly brings invaluable life and filmmaking experience to directing,” said EP Jannie McInnes. “It’s rare to find a new director armed with such technical chops and narrative muscle behind visually striking imagery. She also brings a deeply respectful and positive attitude to working environments.”
Scheme Engine is a BIPOC-owned creative studio and production/postproduction company. With a strong focus on women and minority representation, its roster of directors and in-house creatives–including producers, editors, and composers–is committed to magnifying essential and overlooked perspectives.
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