Production and management firm Anonymous Content has added the two-man filmmaking team of David and Ian Purchase to its Commercial, Integrated, and Feature Film divisions. The Toronto-based directing duo, who have put together an impressive string of guerilla-style spec spots and indie endeavors, made a major splash recently with a spec short film based on the popular Half-Life video game which they have been fans of and playing for nearly a decade.
On a shoestring budget, the Purchase Brothers shot and deployed a grab bag of post and effects software to make Escape from City 17, a spec short for Half-Life that has the look and feel of a big budget action movie. David and Ian posted the short online and it became a YouTube sensation overnight, generating more than 500,000 hits during its first 24 hours. By the end of the first weekend, the film exceeded a million hits and earned the lofty status of the number one piece of content viewed worldwide during that period. The Internet community and gaming sites globally were abuzz. A traffic overload caused the Purchase Brothers own website to crash.
The short resulted immediately in the up-and-coming directorial duo securing its first production house roost, Toronto-based Sons and Daughters, for spot representation in Canada. Now Anonymous has secured the young directors for work across the spot, integrated and feature film disciplines.
By the way, a second spec Half-Life installment is in the works, with the Purchase Brothers estimated it should be completed in a couple of months.
Dave Morrison, head of commercials for Anonymous Content, said, “These guys [David, age 25, and Ian, 23] are the future of the business, and are perfectly suited to create content in any economic climate. Their ability to handle and understand all areas of production and post make them the ultimate students of filmmaking. We’re looking forward to getting them in front of agencies and studios.”
Director Dag Johan Haugerud’s “Dreams (Sex Love)” Wins Top Prize At The Berlin Film Festival
A Norwegian film about love, desire and self-discovery won top honors at the 75th Berlin International Film Festival on Saturday.
A jury headed by American director Todd Haynes awarded the Golden Bear trophy to "Dreams (Sex Love)" by director Dag Johan Haugerud.
Haynes called it a "meditation on love" that "cuts you to the quick with its keen intelligence."
The film focuses on a teenager played by Ella Øverbyer, infatuated with her female French teacher, and the reactions of her mother and grandmother when they discover her private writings. It's the third part of a trilogy Haugerud has completed in the past year. "Sex" premiered at Berlin in 2024, and "Love" was screened at the 2024 Venice Film Festival.
The runner-up Silver Bear prize went to Brazilian director Gabriel Mascaro's dystopian drama "The Blue Trail." Argentine director Ivan Fund's rural saga "The Message" won the third-place Jury Prize.
The best director prize went to Huo Meng for "Living the Land," set in fast-changing 1990s China.
Rose Byrne was named best performer for her role as an overwhelmed mother in the Mary Bronstein-directed "If I Had Legs, I'd Kick You." Andrew Scott won the supporting performer trophy for playing composer Richard Rodgers in Richard Linklater's "Blue Moon."
The climax of the festival known as the Berlinale came on the eve of Germany's parliamentary elections after a campaign dominated by migration and the economy.
The national election is being held seven months early, after Chancellor Olaf Scholz's governing coalition collapsed in a dispute about how to revitalize the country's economy.
Efforts to curb migration have emerged as a central issue in the campaign — along with the question of how to handle the... Read More