The Los Angeles District Attorney’s office is investigating the financial records of the Entertainment Industry Development Corp (EIDC), the body that oversees the joint Los Angeles City/ County Film Office. The ongoing audit went public with news that the DA’s office and local law enforcement officials last week raided and seized records from the EIDC’s Hollywood office as well as the private residence of EIDC president Cody Cluff. According to reports in the Los Angeles Times, the EIDC is being scutinized for alleged misappropriation of funds, related to certain entertainment and travel expenses, as well as political contributions. However, no charges had been filed at press time, and the EIDC denies any wrongdoing. An EIDC spokesman contends that the investigation is misguided because the organization doesn’t receive pubic funding—and as a private corporation designed to promote filming in Greater Los Angeles, the EIDC has incurred legitimate, justifiable marketing expenses, which are being wrongly contested by the DA’s office. These include expenditures on entertainment events (i.e., Lakers games, concerts) to court film industry decision-makers about keeping and/or bringing lensing business into Los Angeles….Director Melanie Bridge has signed with bicoastal/international Partizan for commercial representation. She will continue to be repped in Australia and New Zealand by Sweet Shop, Auckland, New Zealand….Nick Felder, formerly a senior producer at Cliff Freeman and Partners, New York, has joined Lowe New York, as executive VP/director of broadcast production….Feature filmmaker Wes Anderson (The Royal Tenenbaums, Rushmore), who helms ads via bicoastal The Industry, has directed three spots in the debut campaign for Ikea from Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Miami. Additionally, Spike Jonze of bicoastal/international Morton Jankel Zander, helmed an ad in the package….Deutsch, New York, and rap/hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons have decided to dissolve dRush, their three-year-old urban marketing agency….Jason Bentley, a DJ at Los Angeles radio station KCRW, and his producer/music supervisor, Mark Burgoyne, have joined Machine Head, Venice, Calif, as music supervisors. Additionally, Bentley will be doing original music out of the shop…..Continuing its winning ways, Gorgeous Enterprises, London, and director Frank Budgen figured heavily in the top awards at the 40th International Advertising Festival of Ireland, held last week in Kinsale, Ireland. The Budgen-helmed "Sofa" for Reebok out of Lowe London, was named the Grand Prix television winner, while the powerful child abuse PSA "Cartoon," for the National Scoiety for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC), also helmed by Budgen, was awarded the cinema Grand Prix. Additionally, Gorgeous garned the Palme D’Or for the festival, which is presented by the Institute of Advertising Practicioners in Ireland (IAPI). Budgen is repped stateside by bicoastal Anonymous Content….Mark Barasch has become president of ServiDigital Studios—a New York-headquartered video editing/audio post facility owned by parent company Palace Production Center, South Norwalk, Conn. Barasch is best known as the founder of since closed Barasch Music Sound, which he sold in late ’01 in exchange for an equity interest in Creative Content Artists—a postproduction holding company which recently closed all its operations. (SHOOT 8/23, p. 1). The president’s chair at ServiDigital had most recently been occupied by Michael Shapiro, who despite stepping away from that position several months ago, continues to maintain a relationship with the company on a freelance basis. Coming to Servi with Barasch are sound designer/mixer P. Dennis Mitchell—a colleague from Barasch’s old company— and mixers Bob Elder and Kenny Fredrickson, both most recently with the CCA-shuttered audio post shop East Side Mix….Managing director Karen Gahl-Mills has exited The Rhythm Café, Chicago….
London Critics Name “The Brutalist” The Film of the Year
The Brutalist, Brady Corbet’s immigrant saga, won the Film of the Year prize at the 45th London Critics’ Circle Film Awards.
While The Brutalist garnered just one award, it was the marquee honor. Meanwhile Nickel Boys, Conclave and A Real Pain all receivd multiple awards, and Zoe Saldaña was honored twice.
Edward Berger’s Vatican thriller Conclave took two awards for British/Irish Film of the Year and Actor of the Year for Ralph Fiennes, while RaMell Ross’s radical Colson Whitehead adaptation Nickel Boys was recognized with Director of the Year and the Technical Achievement Award for Jomo Fray’s first-person cinematography. Jesse Eisenberg’s dark comedy A Real Pain was the night’s other multiple prizewinner, landing Screenwriter of the Year for the actor-filmmaker, and Supporting Actor of the Year for co-star Kieran Culkin.
Payal Kapadia’s Mumbai-set drama All We Imagine as Light was named Foreign Language Film of the Year, while the Palestinian-Israeli collective behind No Other Land took Documentary of the Year.
Alongside Conclave, British productions awarded by the Circle in the top categories included Mike Leigh’s intimate character study Hard Truths, which took Actress of the Year for Marianne Jean-Baptiste, while Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl was named Animated Feature of the Year. In the British/Irish-specific categories, Saoirse Ronan won British/Irish Performer of the Year for her performances in The Outrun and Blitz, 14-year-old Nykiya Adams won Young British/Irish Performer of the Year for her screen debut in Andrea Arnold’s Bird, and Rich Peppiatt won the... Read More