Production company Rattling Stick has signed director Teddy Cherim for his first commercial representation in the U.S. Based in the Netherlands, with former globe-trotting abodes in Kenya and London, Cherim leverages absurdist and affably self-deprecating humor for clients including Snoop Dogg, Paypal, and KFC, and in film and documentary projects including an episode of the recently released series Human Playground on Netflix. After collegiate education at the London Metropolitan Film School, Cherim wrote and directed the Dutch feature film Sterke Verhalen in 2010, making him the youngest Dutch director to have a full countrywide cinematic release of a film.
Cherim shared, “I feel my brand of comedy really fits in with Rattling Stick. I am in awe of the other directors on the roster–the whole team is amazing, focused and crazy-talented. I can’t wait to start shooting projects for my first foray into the U.S. market.”
Rattling Stick EP Jeff Shupe added, “Whether it’s a French Bulldog’s G-Star be-denimed derriere or a bucket of Colonel Sanders’ classic recipe, Teddy brings a unique and innovative perspective to his films. To say we’re excited to partner with him here in the U.S. market is an understatement.”
Always a storyteller by nature–though he describes himself as funnier in scripts than real life–Cherim had a fortuitous filmmaking assignment in high school that hooked him to what he deems the ultimate narrative device. After his education at the Met, Cherim moved to Nairobi, Kenya, in 2014 to become creative director at MIATV, an East African media company developing local high impact television programs and documentaries. Now working and living in Amsterdam, Cherim has since helmed an episode of the successful series Joardy Season–as well as Het Geldspel for VICELAND. In 2018 Cherim was nominated at the Dutch Film Festival for a Golden Calf in the “Best Interactive” category for the VR documentary Meet The Soldier.
Rom-Com Mainstay Hugh Grant Shifts To The Dark Side and He’s Never Been Happier
After some difficulties connecting to a Zoom, Hugh Grant eventually opts to just phone instead.
"Sorry about that," he apologizes. "Tech hell." Grant is no lover of technology. Smart phones, for example, he calls the "devil's tinderbox."
"I think they're killing us. I hate them," he says. "I go on long holidays from them, three or four days at at time. Marvelous."
Hell, and our proximity to it, is a not unrelated topic to Grant's new film, "Heretic." In it, two young Mormon missionaries (Chloe East, Sophie Thatcher) come knocking on a door they'll soon regret visiting. They're welcomed in by Mr. Reed (Grant), an initially charming man who tests their faith in theological debate, and then, in much worse things.
After decades in romantic comedies, Grant has spent the last few years playing narcissists, weirdos and murders, often to the greatest acclaim of his career. But in "Heretic," a horror thriller from A24, Grant's turn to the dark side reaches a new extreme. The actor who once charmingly stammered in "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and who danced to the Pointer Sisters in "Love Actually" is now doing heinous things to young people in a basement.
"It was a challenge," Grant says. "I think human beings need challenges. It makes your beer taste better in the evening if you've climbed a mountain. He was just so wonderfully (expletive)-up."
"Heretic," which opens in theaters Friday, is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, co-writers of "A Quiet Place." In Grant's hands, Mr. Reed is a divinely good baddie — a scholarly creep whose wry monologues pull from a wide range of references, including, fittingly, Radiohead's "Creep."
In an interview, Grant spoke about these and other facets of his character, his journey... Read More