Director Zak Razvi has joined Furlined for commercial representation in the U.S. and U.K. He had formerly been handled in both those markets by Knucklehead, which was his roost when he earned inclusion into SHOOT’s 2016 New Directors Showcase on the strength of “Twelve Days,” a PSA for the Sara Charlton Foundation.
Razvi’s work has proven both impactful and powerful. His films for the Road Safety Authority of Ireland give voice to an unspeakable tragedy. The extended series gives us insight into the family, emergency responders and nurse’s individual stories, each recounting their harrowing experience in the aftermath of a drunk driving accident. With mature and empathetic direction, Razvi shows profound care in bearing witness to this all too common occurrence.
Furthermore, Razvi’s short film Jordanne was officially selected at 17 international film festivals and won Best Documentary Short at the London Independent Film Festival, British Documentary Film Festival and the Kinsale Shark Awards. Razvi was named Best Up & Coming Director at the Creative Circle Awards.
Razvi began his career on the agency side as a producer at BBH London before moving to Pulse to run its music video department. His time as a producer collaborating with directors, overseeing ideas from initial conception through to execution, led him to directing his own projects.
“Zak’s craft in execution and confidence in visual storytelling is beyond his years,” said Ben Davies, EP/director of development at Furlined. “I’ve known and followed Zak’s journey for quite some time and I’m thrilled to be by his side as he takes the next steps in his career.”
Olly Chapman, managing director of Furlined UK, noted that he’s known Razvi for many years. “It’s great that we’ve now gone full circle and we’re back together with him as a director at Furlined. His work is distinctly original–incredibly sensitive, brave and not afraid to be still or quiet. For Furlined in London he’s the beginning of what we intend to build together–a solid, strong U.K. roster.”
Razvi said he’s admired the work coming out of Furlined for some time. “Ben, Olly and Di (Diane McArter, founder/president of Furlined) are not just incredibly talented, but also share the same passion and focus as I do to produce work we and our creative partners can all be proud of.”
Review: Writer-Director Coralie Fargeat’s “The Substance”
In its first two hours, "The Substance" is a well-made, entertaining movie. Writer-director Coralie Fargeat treats audiences to a heavy dose of biting social commentary on ageism and sexism in Hollywood, with a spoonful of sugar- and sparkle-doused body horror.
But the film's deliciously unhinged, blood-soaked and inevitably polarizing third act is what makes it unforgettable.
What begins as a dread-inducing but still relatively palatable sci-fi flick spirals deeper into absurdism and violence, eventually erupting — quite literally — into a full-blown monster movie. Let the viewer decide who the monster is.
Fargeat — who won best screenplay at this year's Cannes Film Festival — has been vocal about her reverence for "The Fly" director David Cronenberg, and fans of the godfather of body horror will see his unmistakable influence. But "The Substance" is also wholly unique and benefits from Fargeat's perspective, which, according to the French filmmaker, has involved extensive grappling with her own relationship to her body and society's scrutiny.
"The Substance" tells the story of Elisabeth Sparkle, a famed aerobics instructor with a televised show, played by a powerfully vulnerable Demi Moore. Sparkle is fired on her 50th birthday by a ruthless executive — a perfectly cast Dennis Quaid, who nails sleazy and gross.
Feeling rejected by a town that once loved her and despairing over her bygone star power, Sparkle learns from a handsome young nurse about a black-market drug that promises to create a "younger, more beautiful, more perfect" version of its user. Though she initially tosses the phone number in the trash, she soon fishes it out in a desperate panic and places an order.
The one rule to follow is that... Read More