Production house and entertainment partner m ss ng p eces has signed directors Jason Jeffrey to its live action roster and Mia Lidofsky for special projects. Thus m ss ng p eces becomes the first company to rep each filmmaker for commercial projects in the U.S.
Jeffrey’s work is well regarded for its performance-driven storytelling, offbeat approach and impeccable execution. His first short, A Teachable Moment, premiered at The Tribeca Film Festival and the second, Clown Face, was released as a Vimeo Staff Pick and Short of the Week. Alongside his directing talents, Jeffrey is a skilled screenwriter who has written for Netflix and has a feature film in development.
“Jason’s razor sharp observational eye gives his work an authenticity and dry wit that is so rare in comedy,” said Brian Latt, managing partner at m ss ng p eces.
Lidofsky is a New York-based director, writer, showrunner, and creator of the comedy series Strangers on Facebook Watch. Vice Magazine called Strangers “the best queer comedy on TV right now” and Vulture hailed it as “a big hearted drama.” In addition to the show’s critical acclaim, Out Magazine named Lidofsky as one of its OUT100. Lidofsky recently directed the launch campaign for Jemelle Hill’s new podcast for Spotify.
“Mia’s very human, very funny work exudes an optimism that confronts our challenging times with love. Her voice as a creator and director is as refreshing as it is essential,” said Kate Oppenheim, managing partner of m ss ng p eces.
Lidofsky is joining the company’s special projects roster to take on commercial and non-traditional campaigns in the comedy and lifestyle space.
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