Rob Lieberman, two-time winner of the Directors Guild of America Award as best commercial helmer of the year, has come aboard Santa Monica-based Plum Productions. He formerly directed spots via his Lieberman & Co. in association with now defunct Straw Dogs….Santa Monica-headquartered Bravo Zulu has signed comedy director Jordan Brady, formerly with bicoastal HKM Productions. Brady’s movie Wakin’ Up In Reno, from Miramax, opens Feb. 15 and stars Billy Bob Thornton and Charlize Theron…. Post Perfect, a leading visual effects/post house for much of the late 1980s and through the ’90s, closed its doors last week (1/18). Shutting down the operation was Creative Content Artists (CCA), which acquired Post Perfect’s parent company, New York Media Group, last summer. CCA is designing and launching what it bills as being a talent-based, digital-oriented content studio to succeed Post Perfect. The new venture has set up temporary quarters in downtown Manhattan. Meanwhile, Post Perfect’s duplication business and team, headed by Joe Wolf, is headed for CCA’s New York-based Digital Services division, Crush, which is now under the aegis of Manny Fernandez, former president of Virgin Televison de Mexico, a post/effects shop in Mexico City….Hamburg, Germany-based Neue Sentimental Film has launched a subsidiary in New York, TheHaus. The new company opens under the aegis of executive producer Ivo van Riet, with directors Richard Reiss, Lars Knorrn, David McElwaine and Alexander Kane. Neue Sentimental has U.S. offices in New York and Marina del Rey, Calif….Kieran Walsh has joined Liquid Light, New York, as creative director. Walsh had previously been with R!OT Manhattan, where he was creative director of visual effects…. Director/designer Bill Aylward has joined Open Frame Productions, New York. He had been with New York design house Fred+Ethel….Bob Nelson has joined D’Arcy, New York, in the newly created position of executive VP/managing director of global creative services. Nelson was executive VP/director of broadcast production at Lowe, New York….Dallas-based Hothaus Editorial has renamed itself N20 Editorial and added editor Marc Stone, previously with Post Op, Dallas, and producer Stefany Sabo, who was formerly a producer at GSD&M, Austin, Texas….Industry veteran Bert Steinhauser has passed away at the age of 73. In 1980 Steinhauser opened his own production company, Bert Steinhauser Productions, through which he helmed ads for Volkswagen, General Electric and Miller. Prior to directing, he was a creative director/art director at Doyle Dane Bernbach (now DDB), New York. He retired in 1990….
India’s Official Oscar Entry, Which Failed To Make The Cut, Tops Bollywood Awards Show With 10 Wins
The film that was submitted as India's official Oscar entry but failed to make the final list of nominees has swept the International Indian Film Academy Awards, which recognize outstanding work in the country's film industry.
Director Kiran Rao's critically acclaimed "Laapataa Ladies" — renamed "Lost Ladies" for its Oscar campaign — emerged as the biggest winner at the 2025 IIFA Awards, bagging 10 wins, including best picture and best direction.
The 2023 comedy is about two veiled brides who are accidentally swapped during a train ride, and tackles issues of patriarchy and gender roles, a shift from decades of male-centered mainstream Indian movies.
"It's a rare privilege to win an award for a film like 'Laapataa Ladies.' It's been a wonderful night. It's a rare privilege to make a film like this," Rao said in her acceptance speech.
Rao's film — a rare departure from most Bollywood films, which typically feature song-and-dance routines, violence and melodrama — also won in categories for best story, best screenplay and best actress in a leading role.
The annual ceremony of IIFA began in the western city of Jaipur on Saturday and concluded Sunday.
Indian cinema's most recognizable names took part in the glitzy event and Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan and actor Shahid Kapoor were among those who performed at the ceremony. The event was hosted by veteran director and producer Karan Johar and actor Kartik Aaryan.
The awards show also presents an opportunity for Indian celebrities to showcase their fashion, and this year was no exception. Notable figures such as Madhuri Dixit, Katrina Kaif and Kareena Kapoor Khan displayed their fashion choices on the green carpet.
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