Director Steve Beck has come aboard bicoastal/international Believe Media. Most recently with bicoastal Reactor Films, Beck is best known for his effects-driven directorial work. Earlier this year, Beck helmed the feature film Ghost Ship, slated for theatrical release Oct. 25….Director Blair Hayes is set to join Area 51 Films, Santa Monica….Park Pictures, New York, has inked director Lara Shapiro for spots….Dan Bryant has been named COO/ executive producer of Backyard Productions, the Venice, Calif.-headquartered production house with an office in Chicago. His primary responsibilities are to grow and manage Backyard Productions and its existing divisions, including Transistor Studios and Backyard Entertainment, plus another new division to be announced shortly. He will be working in partnership with Backyard founders Blair Stribley and Roy Skillicorn….Studio V-12, Santa Monica, best known as a design/production company, has launched a commercial division, V12 Commercials. The new venture recently hired Bill Hewes to serve as executive producer and added director Linzi Knight, formerly repped by Reactor Films….. D’Arcy Masius Benton and Bowles will be absorbed by several agencies, including Publicis Worldwide, Saatchi & Saatchi and Leo Burnett USA, as part of a reorganization by Paris-headquartered Publicis, parent company to the ad shops….Mixer Jason Seidman has come aboard Photomag, New York….Joe Sweet, the copywriter who played a key role in the creation of "The Hire" series of Web-based short films for BMW, died Oct. 4 while attending a media trade show in Cannes. He was 43. Sweet’s contributions leading to the genesis of "The Hire" came while he was a group creative director at Fallon Minneapolis. He left that ad shop earlier this year, devoting himself to the making of his own movie. Sweet’s wife, Germaine, has set up a memorial fund. Contributions can be sent to the Joe Sweet Film Fund, 3820 Vincent Ave. S., Minneapolis, Minn. 55410…. Florida-based Flame artist/designer Bob Geuder died suddenly on October 4 while vacationing on the Dutch Caribbean island of Bonaire. Geuder was slated to become creative director at MT-Miami—the postproduction division of BVI LLC, Coconut Grove, Fla., acquired through its merger with Manhattan Transfer-Miami (SHOOT 4/17, p. 1). Most recently, Geuder had worked as a Flame artist/designer with Coconut Grove-based Deep Blue Sea—a visual effects house under the aegis of BVI LLC….
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