Epoch Films has secured filmmakers Tom McCarthy and Daryl Wein for commercial representation. McCarthy has received critical acclaim for his writing and direction work for the independent films The Station Agent, Win Win and The Visitor.
For the latter, McCarthy won the Best Director honor at the 2009 Independent Spirit Awards and was nominated for Best Original Screenplay by the Writers Guild of America. Five years earlier, he earned his first WGA Awards Best Original Screenplay nomination for The Station Agent, which premiered at the ’03 Sundance Film Festival where it won the Audience Award as well as the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award. Win Win won the 2011 Humanitas Prize in the Feature Film category. Additionally, McCarthy earned an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay for Pixar’s Up, a shared writing credit with Pete Docter and Bob Peterson.
McCarthy was recently tapped to pen the Disney sports drama Million Dollar Arm.
Meanwhile, Wein is a New York filmmaker, who directed, co-wrote, co-produced and co-starred in the indie romantic comedy Breaking Upwards, which debuted at the 2009 SXSW Film Festival to critical acclaim and was released theatrically by IFC Films. He also directed Sex Positive, about the invention of safe sex during the AIDS crisis; the film won the Grand Jury Prize at the L.A. Outfest Film Fest, and was an Official Selection at the 2008 SXSW Film Festival. Regent released the film theatrically world-wide. Wein also co-wrote and directed Unlocked, a short psychological drama. The film was an Official Selection at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival. He is currently in postproduction on his second narrative feature film, Lola Versus, slated for distribution by Fox Searchlight in spring 2012. The movie is produced by Groundswell Productions, Academy Award-winning producers of Sideways and Milk.
Mindy Goldberg, partner and founder of Epoch Films, said, “Introducing unique filmmaking voices to the advertising community continues to be a guiding company principle and this signing [of McCarthy and Wein] is a good example of that principle in action.”
In addition to producing, commercials, music videos and web content, Epoch Films has previously developed and produced two feature films, Junebug, directed by Phil Morrison, and Gigantic, directed by Matt Aselton. Anne Carey (The American, Adventureland, The Savages) is now working with Goldberg on building Epoch Films’ feature and TV division. The two have a slate of projects in varying stages of development. Epoch is currently developing the feature film Low Down, with producers Albert Berger & Ron Yerxa (Little Children, Little Miss Sunshine) of Bona Fide Productions. Low Down will be directed by Epoch Films’ partner and commercial director Jeff Preiss.
Hwang Dong-hyuk On Season 2 of “Squid Game,” Wrapping Production on Season 3; What’s Next?
Viewers may gasp, cringe or cry out watching characters die on Netflix's "Squid Game," but those simulated deaths have a different effect on its creator, writer and director. Instead, Hwang Dong-hyuk feels happiness seeing them go.
The show has a huge cast and Hwang says it was "really difficult" to manage everyone on set.
As characters would die, Hwang recalls saying to the actors on their last day, "'Oh no! How sad! I won't see you tomorrow,' but I was always smiling inside."
"Squid Game" season two premieres Thursday. It once again stars Lee Jung-jae and centers around a secret competition in South Korea that targets people in debt and the winner gets a big cash prize. What they don't know is that losing the game is deadly.
Hwang originally conceived of the show 15 years ago as a two-hour film but it failed to gain traction with financiers or even interested actors. He put it aside and worked on other films instead. He then had the idea to make it a TV series instead and took the project to Netflix. There, it could reach a wide audience.
"I never in my wildest dream thought it was going to be this huge," said Hwang, who spoke about the show and what comes next. Answers have been edited for clarity and length.
Q: What have you learned from "Squid Game"?
HWANG: I learned that I shouldn't give up. If you love something and if you want to create something, it might not work now, but the time might come later. Or that idea could be the source of inspiration for something else.
Q: You've already finished filming season three of "Squid Game." Have you thought about what your next project will be?
HWANG: I'm afraid to talk... Read More