Park Pictures, the commercial production house founded by director Lance Acord and executive producer Jackie Kelman Bisbee, has formed a narrative feature company, Park Pictures Features, with film producers Galt Niederhoffer and Sam Bisbee. Park Pictures Features’ first project is the family comedy Robot & Frank, marking the theatrical feature directorial debut of Park Pictures’ Jake Schreier. The film’s cast includes Frank Langella, Susan Sarandon, James Marsden, Liv Tyler, Jeremy Strong and Liev Schreiber. Written by Christopher Ford, the feature is being produced by Niederhoffer, Bisbee, Kelman Bisbee and Acord and has begun shooting in New York with Matt Lloyd serving as DP.
Set in the future, Robot & Frank follows aging curmudgeon, Frank (Langella), a confused loner with a love for books. His one friend is the librarian Jennifer (Sarandon) that he regularly visits. Other than his library outings, and weekly visits from his son, Frank lives a quiet, lonely life, until his grown-up kids (Marsden, Tyler) install a caretaker robot to look after their dad and an unlikely friendship begins.
Next on the Park Pictures Features’ slate are the theatrical film directing debut of Acord and a new project from director Ringan Ledwidge. The company will also produce the adaptations of Sam Lipsyte’s best-selling novel, “The Ask,” to be directed by Steven Shainberg, and the late David Foster Wallace’s short story, “Little Expressionless Animals.”
Niederhoffer thus far has produced 21 features, eight of which have been shown in competition at the Sundance Film Festival–with seven winning awards, including Grace Is Gone which garnered the Sundance Audience Award in 2007.
Sam Bisbee’s film debut as a producer–The New Tenants directed by Park Pictures’ Joachim Back–won the Academy Award for Best Live-Action Short last year. Bisbee executive produced and co-wrote the screenplay and songs for the slasher musical Don’t Go In the Woods, directed by Vincent D’onofrio (who starred in The New Tenants). Bisbee additionally has screenwriting and singer/songwriter/composer credentials.
Park Pictures plans for two movies in its first year. The company will draw on its directing talent (which includes Acord, Schreier, Niederhoffer, Ellen Kuras, Joachim Back, Gary Freedman, Steven Shainberg, 300ml and Alison Maclean) as well as local NYC directors to make films with strong visual, narrative, and commercial appeal.
Acord, partner in Park Pictures and Park Picture Features, related that the former is “a company comprised of filmmakers, so as we grow and evolve it only makes sense to develop and produce their feature projects. Being a commercial production company, we have a unique opportunity to utilize our resources within the industry to economically and efficiently make long form films. Having Galt on board has been great. Her knowledge and expertise is such an amazing asset. I have been excited to see Robot and Frank go into production. Jake and C.D. Ford have been working on this for quite some time now and I must admit it has been a bit surreal to sit on set and see the film actually take shape. Jake is a very talented guy. His confidence on set and insights into working with actors far exceeds that of a ‘first time director,’ I think his years of experience as a commercial and music video director have served him well.”
SUPERLATIVE Signs Director Claudia Abend For Spots and Branded Content
Latin American director/editor and documentary filmmaker Claudia Abend has joined SUPERLATIVE for her first U.S. representation spanning commercials and branded content.
Abend's empathetic docu-style POV has garnered several international awards for the documentary films Hit (2008) and The Flower of Life (2018). Her spotmaking credits include such brands as Procter & Gamble, Nestle and Blue Cross/Blue Shield. SUPERLATIVE has already worked with Abend, together producing a new ad campaign for digital agency Tinuiti and The Honest Company, a consumer goods corporation featuring eco-minded products.
“We found Claudia through her poignant documentaries on the festival circuit,” said SUPERLATIVE creative manager Stefan Dezil. “We are excited about her textured narratives, emotional storytelling, and her powerhouse long-form storytelling abilities, currently on her third feature film. As SUPERLATIVE continues to build our brand after premiering our latest films at Sundance and SXSW, Claudia is the kind of multidimensional artist we are excited to partner with on branded content and beyond. Fluent in English and Spanish, her reel shows real prowess with infants, food and skin products, families both young and old. Great visual storytelling and inspirational doc work.”
Abend began her career in her native Uruguay, studying film and editing in college. “My dad would show me films like Citizen Kane,” she said. “I love cinema and became an editor. It was here that I learned all about communicating human emotion.”
From the get-go, Abend hit it big as a documentary director, teaming with Adrianna Loeff on Hit, a movie chronicling pop artists of Uruguayan music. Abend took home a Best Editing... Read More