Global Mechanic, a live-action/animation house with shops in Boston and Vancouver, B.C., has added noted animation director Dirk van de Vondel to its roster. He spent the past six years at Sherbet, London.
Among his recent credits at Sherbet were spots for Nokia and Seat Automobiles. (The Nokia worked aired in the U.S.) He has also helmed American assignments for Coca-Cola and Lee Khakis via Tricky Pictures, Chicago. Adding to his international cache are jobs for Siemens via Cine Nic, Barcelona, and a Tate Gallery project via Richard Purdum Productions, London.
At press time, van de Vondel was wrapping a Nokia spot via Global Mechanic. The ad is slated to break worldwide this month.
A filmmaker and painter, van de Vondel bases his work on observational drawing, meshing design, expressive painting and a sense of weight and grace in movement. He is also known for mixing digital and physical production techniques.
Van de Vondel joins a Global Mechanic lineup of directors that includes Bruce Alcock, Dan Sousa, Nathaniel Akin, Rich Ferguson-Hill, Ian Godfrey, Marv Newland and Cliff Saito. Matthew Charde is the company’s executive producer.
Global Mechanic is active in spots (Kellogg’s Anheuser-Busch, Procter & Gamble, Coke, Mattel, Unilever, Hershey, Kraft, Mattle, Target) and longer form fare. Its latest films are Alcock’s At the Quinte Hotel and Sousa’s Fable. Both continue their run on the festival circuit, with exposure at Sundance, the Toronto International Film Fest, the Chicago International Film Fest, the Ottawa International Animation Festival, the San Francisco International Festival and the Annecy Film Festival. Quinte won best Canadian animated short in Ottawa and the Golden Gate Award in San Francisco.
DGA Feature Nominees: Audiard, Baker, Berger, Corbet and Mangold
The field of feature nominees for the Directors Guild of America (DGA) Awards spanning two categories is set. Nominated for the DGA honor for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film for 2024 are: Jacques Audiard for Emilia Pérez, Sean Baker for Anora, Edward Berger for Conclave, Brady Corbet for The Brutalist, and James Mangold for A Complete Unknown.
The DGA also revealed the nominees for the Michael Apted Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in First-Time Theatrical Feature Film. The first-time narrative feature directors are: Payal Kapadia for All We Imagine as Light, Megan Park for My Old Ass, RaMell Ross for Nickel Boys, Halfdan Ullman Tondel for Armand, and Sean Wang for Diddy.
“2024 has been a truly extraordinary year for storytelling--and today’s nominees have created audacious and unique films that expand the possibilities of cinematic excellence,” said DGA president Lesli Linka Glatter. “I am thrilled to congratulate all our nominated directors for their brilliant work, which is visionary, inspirational and speaks to the depth of the human experience. To be chosen by one’s peers is the true marker of outstanding directorial achievement and what makes these nominations so very special.”
The winners will be announced at the 77th Annual DGA Awards on Saturday, February 8.
Here’s a fuller rundown of the nominees in both DGA Award categories:
THEATRICAL FEATURE FILM
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film for 2024 (in alphabetical order):
JACQUES AUDIARD
Emilia Pérez
(Netflix)
SEAN... Read More