International production and new media company The Devil You Know has signed director NAN for U.S. representation. Currently repped in France by 75 (Soixante Quinze), NAN in joining The Devil You Know lands his first U.S. production company home in his 12-year directorial career which spans numerous spots for Nike, Ikea, Orange, KFC and Adidas, among others.
Among NAN’s documentary projects are Dream, a feature length film about the St. Louis Rams, and Unclaimed, the odd story about the travels of a suitcase which belonged to Marilyn Monroe. His recent short film The Oracle is being developed as a TV series, which he will write and direct. He also has several feature films and TV series projects in development.
Drawing from his background in narrative/long form documentary filmmaking, NAN has directed commercials marked by powerful, authentic lifestyle imagery that strives to capture true human emotion and feelings. The truthfulness of a look, the singularity of a gesture or the rarity of a moment are consistent elements throughout his work. NAN’s experience as a DP has had a profound effect on his consistent visual style.
“I didn’t want to join a traditional production company. It seems essential to me to choose executive producers who have a global vision,” said NAN, alluding to EPs Simion Wallon and Don Block who in early June launched The Devil You Know, which is a sister shop to long-standing production house GARTNER.
“The technical aspect of commercials,” continued NAN, “is something I use for documentaries. The instinctive approach to documentaries can help for narrative content. Narrative sensitivity is something I use for commercials…The process as a whole informs every aspect of my filmmaking. It is a modern approach that touches every format, every support. This industry is made of encounters. I love how this company and its executive producers think. The Devil You Know was an obvious choice to me. We have the same vision.”
In addition to their duties at The Devil You Know, Wallon is founder/EP of Kiss & Kill which is active in commercials, shorts and music videos while Block is owner/EP of GARTNER.
NAN, who’s splitting his time between L.A. and Paris, is already engaged in his first projects at The Devil You Know, joining a company directorial roster which also includes Ben Younger, Bo Mirosseni, Bret Easton Ellis and Alex Hanson.
The Devil You Know is represented by Oritte Bendory and Kelly Flint on the East Coast, Jen Giles/Scout Creative Representation in the Midwest and John Buckley on the West Coast.
Jennifer Kent On Why Her Feature Directing Debut, “The Babadook,” Continues To Haunt Us
"The Babadook," when it was released 10 years ago, didn't seem to portend a cultural sensation.
It was the first film by a little-known Australian filmmaker, Jennifer Kent. It had that strange name. On opening weekend, it played in two theaters.
But with time, the long shadows of "The Babadook" continued to envelop moviegoers. Its rerelease this weekend in theaters, a decade later, is less of a reminder of a sleeper 2014 indie hit than it is a chance to revisit a horror milestone that continues to cast a dark spell.
Not many small-budget, first-feature films can be fairly said to have shifted cinema but Kent's directorial debut may be one of them. It was at the nexus of that much-debated term "elevated horror." But regardless of that label, it helped kicked off a wave of challenging, filmmaker-driven genre movies like "It Follows," "Get Out" and "Hereditary."
Kent, 55, has watched all of this — and those many "Babadook" memes — unfold over the years with a mix of elation and confusion. Her film was inspired in part by the death of her father, and its horror elements likewise arise out of the suppression of emotions. A single mother (Essie Davis) is struggling with raising her young son (Noah Wiseman) years after the tragic death of her husband. A figure from a pop-up children's book begins to appear. As things grow more intense, his name is drawn out in three chilling syllables — "Bah-Bah-Doooook" — an incantation of unprocessed grief.
Kent recently spoke from her native Australia to reflect on the origins and continuing life of "The Babadook."
Q: Given that you didn't set out to in any way "change" horror, how have you regarded the unique afterlife of "The... Read More