Robert Walston, president of Liberty Livewire Corp., Santa Monica-headquartered parent company to a host of post/effects facilities worldwide, has added the title of CEO. He had been serving as acting CEO since April, following the departure of David Beddow. Liberty Livewire’s primary hubs of operation are Los Angeles, New York and London. Before joining Liberty Livewire in June 2000 as president and COO, Walston was chairman/CEO of Four Media Co., which is part of the Liberty family of companies….Redtree Productions, based in New York and Boston, has signed feature filmmaker Brad Anderson and director Mat Kaufman for spot representation…Bicoastal HSI Productions has renewed its strategic alliance with Hollywood-based Bitmax for another year. Per the deal, Bitmax remains the exclusive provider of all digital convergence and distribution for HSI, encompassing such services as putting directors’ work on DVDs and streaming helmers’ reels over the Internet. Bitmax maintains BAM! (Bitmax Asset Manager), an online ordering service that via the Internet connects clients to their digitally archived video files (SHOOT, 4/20, p. 7). This enables clients to order customized reels via the Web. Over the past six months, Bitmax has produced more than 40 DVD runs between 100 and 300 discs each for HSI and its affiliated bicoastal shops, Mars Media and Venus Entertainment….Electra Lang has been named executive producer of Pictures In A Row, the Los Angeles shop featuring director Peter Lang….Sound designer/engineer Eric Pilhofer has joined VoiceWorks Recording Studios, Minneapolis. He was formerly with Minneapolis-based Hi-Wire….
DGA Feature Nominees: Audiard, Baker, Berger, Corbet and Mangold
The field of feature nominees for the Directors Guild of America (DGA) Awards spanning two categories is set. Nominated for the DGA honor for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film for 2024 are: Jacques Audiard for Emilia Pérez, Sean Baker for Anora, Edward Berger for Conclave, Brady Corbet for The Brutalist, and James Mangold for A Complete Unknown.
The DGA also revealed the nominees for the Michael Apted Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in First-Time Theatrical Feature Film. The first-time narrative feature directors are: Payal Kapadia for All We Imagine as Light, Megan Park for My Old Ass, RaMell Ross for Nickel Boys, Halfdan Ullman Tondel for Armand, and Sean Wang for Diddy.
“2024 has been a truly extraordinary year for storytelling--and today’s nominees have created audacious and unique films that expand the possibilities of cinematic excellence,” said DGA president Lesli Linka Glatter. “I am thrilled to congratulate all our nominated directors for their brilliant work, which is visionary, inspirational and speaks to the depth of the human experience. To be chosen by one’s peers is the true marker of outstanding directorial achievement and what makes these nominations so very special.”
The winners will be announced at the 77th Annual DGA Awards on Saturday, February 8.
Here’s a fuller rundown of the nominees in both DGA Award categories:
THEATRICAL FEATURE FILM
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film for 2024 (in alphabetical order):
JACQUES AUDIARD
Emilia Pérez
(Netflix)
SEAN... Read More