Bicoastal/international RSA Films has signed feature filmmaker Kathryn Bigelow for worldwide spot representation. Her latest film, The Hurt Locker, is in theaters now after earning a SIGNIS Grand Prize when it debuted at the Venice Film Festival last year. The Hurt Locker, which has garnered critical acclaim, tells the story of military bomb specialists stationed in Iraq.
While accomplished in features with a filmography that includes action pic Point Break, sci-fi thriller Strange Days, cold war drama K-19: The Widowmaker and the cult vampire movie Near Dark, Bigelow is hardly a stranger to commercials and branded content, having helmed projects for such clients as Budweiser, Coca-Cola, Hummer, Mazda, Rexona and Pirelli.
For the latter a couple of years ago, Bigelow directed Mission Zero, a short film conceived by Leo Burnett in Milan, and produced by Bigelow’s former commercials roost, Santa Monica-based Independent Media. A wild ride action/adventure shown on Pirelli’s website, Mission Zero starred Uma Thurman and was shot by Oscar-winning cinematographer Janusz Kaminski (who himself is now repped as a commercials director via Independent Media).
Prior to Independent Media, Bigelow had spotmaking affiliations with such houses as Crossroads and @radical.media.
For her feature filmmaking, Bigelow has received assorted honors on the festival circuit, including from the Seattle International and San Sebastian fests, the Brussels International Festival of Fantasy Film, and AFI Dallas. Strange Days earned her a Saturn Award for best direction from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films. She recently earned the Columbia University Andrew Sarris Award for alumni achievement. And earlier this year the ShoWest Triumph Award for Outstanding Direction was bestowed upon Bigelow based on her career body of work.
Jules Daly, president of RSA Films, described Bigelow as being “one of the most innovative filmmakers today, and we look forward to partnering with her to expand upon her extensive body of work.”
Director Tony Scott said that he and RSA partner, director Ridley Scott, “have been fans of Kathryn for a long time and we simply could not be more ecstatic to welcome someone of her caliber aboard.”
First-Time Feature Directors Make Major Splash At AFI Fest, Generate Oscar Buzz
Two first-time feature directors who are generating Oscar buzz this awards season were front and center this past weekend at AFI Fest in Hollywood. Rachel Morrison, who made history as the first woman nominated for a Best Cinematography Oscar---on the strength of Mudbound in 2018--brought her feature directorial debut, The Fire Inside (Amazon MGM Studios), to the festival on Sunday (10/27), and shared insights into the film during a conversation session immediately following the screening. This came a day after William Goldenberg, an Oscar-winning editor for Argo in 2013, had his initial foray into feature directing, Unstoppable (Amazon MGM Studios), showcased at the AFI proceedings. He too spoke after the screening during a panel discussion. The Fire Inside--which made its world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival--tells the story of Claressa “T-Rex” Shields (portrayed by Ryan Destiny), a Black boxer from Flint, Mich., who trained to become the first woman in U.S. history to win an Olympic Gold Medal in the sport. She achieved this feat--with the help of coach Jason Crutchfield (Brian Tyree Henry)--only to find that her victory at the Summer Games came with relatively little fanfare and no endorsement deals. So much for the hope that the historic accomplishment would be a ticket out of socioeconomic purgatory for Shields and her family. It seemed like yet another setback in a cycle of adversity throughout Shields’ life but she persevered, going on to win her second Gold Medal at the next Olympics and becoming a champion for gender equality and equitable pay for women in sports. Shields has served as a source of inspiration for woman athletes worldwide--as well as to the community of... Read More