The Artists Company and its longtime director/executive creative director Otis Mass have announced an amicable split. The news comes on the heels of the theatrical release of their feature documentary The Incomparable Rose Hartman, directed by Mass with The Artists Company owner/executive producer Sally Antonacchio who served as the film’s EP.
The Incomparable Rose Hartman rolled out at Manhattan’s newly renovated Quad Cinema and is scheduled to open on July 7 at the Laemmle Monica in Santa Monica, Calif. As part of Laemmle’s unique “Art in the Arthouse” initiative, the run there will be accompanied by an in-house exhibition of Hartman’s iconic celebrity, nightlife and fashion photography. Gravitas Ventures will be releasing the film in North American on VOD, DVD and Blu-ray on August 29.
Said producer-director Mass: “I am so lucky to have had a 20-year run at such a respected and storied shop as The Artists Company, where Sally helped me grow into the director I am today. We will always share an amazing journey called Rose Hartman, from which I learned a greater fluidity in storytelling and also what’s possible in the quickly changing landscapes of the Ad arena.”
Said Antonacchio, “I am so proud of what we were able to achieve together creatively in both the advertising and feature film worlds. I wish Øtis the very best.”
A world premiere at SXSW and then screened at over a dozen festivals including Toronto’s HotDocs and DOC NYC, The Incomparable Rose Hartman exposes the irascibly candid, recently-turned-80-year-old woman behind some of pop culture’s most enduring images, particularly from the Studio 54 era and her pioneering work behind the scenes of 7th Avenue. Some have called her “the Tasmanian Devil of photography.”
A presentation of The Artists Company and Massive Original, the 70-minute film was also produced by Mass along with Bob Fisher. In addition to Antonacchio’s role as EP, Eric Schmollinger and Hartman served as co-executive producers.
“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