In this week’s issue, we recap the panel discussions from the daytime SHOOT Directors/Producers Forum and evening New Directors Showcase; both events were held on May 10 at the Directors Guild of America (DGA) Theatre in New York (see separate section).
This is the ninth year of the Showcase; the last seven debuting at the DGA Theatre. Prominent in the mix of talent selected for the 2011 New Directors Showcase were a half dozen unaffiliated directors, five of whom earned inclusion on the basis of spec work: Matt Fackrell (Pampers’ “Freaked Out), Christopher Fata (Apartments.com’s “Novelty Cups”), Laurent Soriano (Perrier’s “Bonjour”), Kirsten Tan, currently enrolled in NYU’s Grad Film Program (IFC’s “Play Your Part” spec cinema ad), and Igor Martinovic (adidas’ “Dream”). Martinovic is well known as a DP, having shot the James Marsh-directed, Oscar-winning documentary Man On Wire.
Also in the unaffiliated batch of promising directorial newcomers was Elizabeth Orne, a recent NYU film school grad who caught SHOOT judges’ attention with her short film Crazy Glue.
Over the nine years of the SHOOT Showcase, a fair share of its directors has gone on to prominence. They include:
• David Gray, who was with Hungry Man at the time, gained a slot in SHOOT’s 2005 New Directors Showcase. Two years later he received a DGA nomination as Best Commercial Director of 2006. Gray is now with Station Film.
• Several, including Harold Einstein of Station, have gone on to direct work that’s earned Gold Lions at Cannes, AICP Show honors and other industry accolades. Einstein was in the ’08 Showcase.
• Michael Downing, who was with harvest at the time, had what was originally a spec spot, Bud Light’s “Skydiver,” earn him Showcase inclusion. “Skydiver” ascended from spec piece to 2005 Super Bowl spot, rating number one in USA Today’s Ad Meter, which ranks the popularity of each year’s crop of Big Game commercials. Downing is now with Epoch Films stateside and Suneeva in Canada.
• Keith Bearden was a Showcase director in ’08. Two years later Bearden’s theatrical feature film debut, Meet Monica Velour, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival.
• Also in the ’08 Showcase was director Pete Circuitt, a.k.a. Bitstate which is also the name of his U.K. studio. He went on to direct Yes, Virginia, a primetime CBS TV animated Xmas special for Macy’s and JWT New York that earned a One Show Entertainment Awards’ Gold Pencil last year. He helmed that project via The Ebeling Group, which handles him stateside for commercials and branded content.
• And Ross Katz, a director who made the Showcase in ’09, went on to see his Taking Chance win the DGA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Movies For TV.
Meanwhile, we look forward to achievements from this year’s roster of Showcase directors. For the SHOOT staff, the most gratifying part of the Showcase is giving exposure to the worthwhile work of directors, seeing their careers get a jump start and then progress over the years.
Utah Leaders and Locals Rally To Keep Sundance Film Festival In The State
With the 2025 Sundance Film Festival underway, Utah leaders, locals and longtime attendees are making a final push — one that could include paying millions of dollars — to keep the world-renowned film festival as its directors consider uprooting.
Thousands of festivalgoers affixed bright yellow stickers to their winter coats that read "Keep Sundance in Utah" in a last-ditch effort to convince festival leadership and state officials to keep it in Park City, its home of 41 years.
Gov. Spencer Cox said previously that Utah would not throw as much money at the festival as other states hoping to lure it away. Now his office is urging the Legislature to carve out $3 million for Sundance in the state budget, weeks before the independent film festival is expected to pick a home for the next decade.
It could retain a small presence in picturesque Park City and center itself in nearby Salt Lake City, or move to another finalist — Cincinnati, Ohio, or Boulder, Colorado — beginning in 2027.
"Sundance is Utah, and Utah is Sundance. You can't really separate those two," Cox said. "This is your home, and we desperately hope it will be your home forever."
Last year's festival generated about $132 million for the state of Utah, according to Sundance's 2024 economic impact report.
Festival Director Eugene Hernandez told reporters last week that they had not made a final decision. An announcement is expected this year by early spring.
Colorado is trying to further sweeten its offer. The state is considering legislation giving up to $34 million in tax incentives to film festivals like Sundance through 2036 — on top of the $1.5 million in funds already approved to lure the Utah festival to its neighboring... Read More