Nonfiction Unlimited, a commercial production company with a roster consisting of leading documentary filmmakers, has added the directing team of Jimmy Chin and Chai Vasarhelyi who last year earned a DGA Award nomination for Meru, a breathtaking documentary about two difficult ascents of the Himalayan peak. Winner of the 2015 Sundance Film Festival Audience Award, Meru was the highest grossing independent documentary film of that year. Chin, a professional alpinist, filmed much of the documentary while climbing the 1,500-foot-tall Shark’s Fin rock wall, the final section of the 21,850-foot mountain. He first tried to climb atop Meru in 2008, but was turned back by severe weather 100 meters from the summit. Meru chronicles the conquest of the summit on the return expedition in 2011, with fellow climbers Conrad Anker and Renan Ozturk.
As an athlete, director and photographer, Chin has worked with elite adventurers in some of the most dangerous and challenging locations in the world including several ascents of Mount Everest. He has directed extreme adventure work for Chase Bank, Pirelli and The North Face, among others. For Chase, Chin both starred in and directed a close-up view of a photographer climbing the treacherous peaks of the Bugaboos to capture the perfect shot. For Pirelli, he filmed skiers in a dramatic high-speed ski sequence that ends in an unexpected BASE jump, seen from the perspective of inside a car, also falling through the air.
Vasarhelyi is a prolific award-winning documentary director whose work includes an episode of Netflix’s Abstract: The Art of Design, a profile of Ralph Gilles, head automotive designer for Fiat Chrysler. No stranger to dangerous projects herself, Vasarhelyi spent years in Senegal filming Youssou N’Dour: I Bring What I Love, about the Senegalese icon and musician, and Incorruptible chronicling the tense 2012 Senegal elections. The film won a 2016 Independent Spirit Award. Her work also includes Climbing the Shark’s Fin, a New York Times Op Doc.
“Jimmy is one of the most accomplished adventure sports filmmakers and photographers working today,” said Loretta Jeneski, executive producer at Nonfiction Unlimited. “He has incredible cinematic flare and has specialized in directing logistically complicated shoots. Chai has been winning documentary awards since she was twenty-three. She’s all about revealing the humanity in every story. They are both a force of nature and we’re thrilled they’ve joined us at Nonfiction for advertising projects.”
“Challengers” Earns Actor-Producer Zendaya 2024 Gothams Spotlight Tribute
Emmy Award-winner Zendaya will receive the Gotham Film & Media Institute’s Spotlight Tribute for her performance as Tashi Donaldson in the Luca Guadagnino-directed film Challengers, at the 34th edition of The Gothams, taking place live and in person on Monday, December 2, at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City.
The Spotlight Tribute was created by The Gotham in order to recognize phenomenal efforts by individuals in film and television who captivated global audiences with the biggest projects of the year. With the Spotlight Tribute, The Gotham will honor Zendaya’s remarkable work as leading-actress and producer on the Amazon MGM Studios box-office hit that broke into the cultural zeitgeist, and was celebrated by critics and audiences worldwide.
“Zendaya’s magnetic portrayal of Tashi Donaldson in Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers exemplifies the creative excellence that The Gotham celebrates,” said Jeffrey Sharp, executive director of The Gotham. “Her performances in Dune: Part One, Dune: Part Two, and Euphoria have made her one of the most captivating actors of her generation. Her multi-layered performance at the heart of Challengers earned widespread acclaim, including a nomination for Best Feature at this year’s Gothams. We look forward to honoring her work with our Spotlight Tribute.”
From Academy Award nominated visionary filmmaker Guadagnino, Challengers stars two-time Emmy winner Zendaya as Tashi Duncan (who becomes Tashi Donaldson after marrying Art Donaldson), a former tennis prodigy turned coach and a force of nature who makes no apologies for her game on and off the court. Married to Art Donaldson (BAFTA nominee Mike Faist), a champion on a losing streak,... Read More