Director Stephen Gyllenhaal has joined MRB Productions, the Hollywood-based shop founded in 2001 by exec producer/CEO Matthew Brady and which is active in TV, features, new media and commercial content.
MRB signed Gyllenhaal as a commercial director immediately after working with him on the company’s independent feature film, Grassroots starring Jason Biggs (American Pie) and Lauren Ambrose (Six Feet Under). Grassroots is a character-driven film showcasing the power people have to spark a political movement.
Gyllenhaal’s credits include: the Emmy-nominated adaptation of Paris Trout, which won him a DGA Award for outstanding directorial achievement in dramatic specials; various TV series such as Twin Peaks, Numb3rs and Blue Bloods; and the telefilm Girlfight starring Anne Heche.
“Stephen and I had a wonderful working relationship on Grassroots, and MRB kept getting boards for directors with a background in storytelling,” said Brady. “I talked to Stephen about directing commercials and he was excited to jump on board. Instantly, we booked two projects for Reebok and ESPN.”
Enthused over the prospects of getting into the commercialmaking space, Gyllenhaal, who is the father of actors Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal, joins a directorial roster at MRB that includes Jamie Babbit, Branson Veal, Marty Weiss, Jeremy Haft and Mark Teitelman.
After Documentaries About Taylor Swift and Brooke Shields, Director Lana Wilson Turns Her Camera To NYC Psychics
Filmmaker Lana Wilson had never thought much about psychics. But the morning after Election Day in 2016, in Atlantic City, New Jersey, she found herself drawn towards a sign that promised "$5 psychic readings" and wandered in.
Much to her surprise, she found it to be a rather profound experience. She can barely even remember what was said, but it was emotional and comforting. And it would set her on a seven-year journey to make a documentary about this strange and misunderstood tradition, "Look Into My Eyes," which expands in theaters this week.
"I think I had totally misjudged the whole psychic tradition," Wilson said. "I had trivialized it and seen it as this silly thing, despite the fact that millions of people around the world engage in it… I'd had this personal experience where I, as a lifelong skeptic, found comfort in a psychic one day. So part of my initial perspective was what if it doesn't matter if it's real or not?
In the years since that fateful encounter, Wilson's own profile has raised significantly for her documentaries about Taylor Swift, " Miss Americana," and Brooke Shields, " Pretty Baby." But the idea of the psychics lingered. The film, unjudgmental, funny and poignant, takes viewers inside the homes, and sessions, of several New York City psychics
Wilson spoke about her process, her revelations and why she decided to not take Shields up on her offer to be one of the subjects in this one. Remarks have been edited for clarity and brevity.
Q: Did you find many of your friends shared your own assumptions about psychics?
WILSON: One of my closest friends is a therapist and she immediately got it. She was like, "This is totally different than therapy. But, also,... Read More