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.”
Utah Leaders and Locals Rally To Keep Sundance Film Festival In The State
With the 2025 Sundance Film Festival underway, Utah leaders, locals and longtime attendees are making a final push — one that could include paying millions of dollars — to keep the world-renowned film festival as its directors consider uprooting.
Thousands of festivalgoers affixed bright yellow stickers to their winter coats that read "Keep Sundance in Utah" in a last-ditch effort to convince festival leadership and state officials to keep it in Park City, its home of 41 years.
Gov. Spencer Cox said previously that Utah would not throw as much money at the festival as other states hoping to lure it away. Now his office is urging the Legislature to carve out $3 million for Sundance in the state budget, weeks before the independent film festival is expected to pick a home for the next decade.
It could retain a small presence in picturesque Park City and center itself in nearby Salt Lake City, or move to another finalist — Cincinnati, Ohio, or Boulder, Colorado — beginning in 2027.
"Sundance is Utah, and Utah is Sundance. You can't really separate those two," Cox said. "This is your home, and we desperately hope it will be your home forever."
Last year's festival generated about $132 million for the state of Utah, according to Sundance's 2024 economic impact report.
Festival Director Eugene Hernandez told reporters last week that they had not made a final decision. An announcement is expected this year by early spring.
Colorado is trying to further sweeten its offer. The state is considering legislation giving up to $34 million in tax incentives to film festivals like Sundance through 2036 — on top of the $1.5 million in funds already approved to lure the Utah festival to its neighboring... Read More