Feature filmmakers The Hughes Brothers—Albert and Allen—who have directed such features as From Hell and Menace II Society, have signed with Oil Factory Films, Hollywood, for commercial representation, and are currently working on a three-spot package for Nike out of Wieden+Kennedy, Portland, Ore….Executive producer Marshall Rawlings, formerly of now defunct Propaganda Independent, has joined bicoastal Anonymous Content. Rawlings will oversee a new Anonymous operation that will represent select feature directors for spots….Matthew Marquis, formerly principal/executive producer of now defunct Milk Bar, has taken the exec producer reins at Slo.Graffiti, a division of Los Angeles-based Palomar Pictures. He replaces Laura Howard, whose plans weren’t known at press time….Word is that directors Gary Weis and Francisco Pugliese are joining Santa Monica-based Atlas Pictures….Director Jim Barton, briefly with bicoastal M-80 and prior to that San Francisco-based kaboom, has joined Picture Park, Santa Monica, and Boston….Choreographer Michael Rooney has embarked on a directing career, joining the music video roster at Squeak Pictures, the Los Angeles-based hybrid spot/music clips house headed by president/executive producer Pam Tarr. Vicki Mayer, formerly an exec producer for bicoastal Black Dog Films, has assumed the same role at Squeak’s music video operation….The American Federation of Musicians (AFM) has ratified its negotiated agreement with the advertising industry covering talent fees for musicians in TV, radio and Internet commercials. The new three-year contract is retroactive to Oct. 17, ’01, and will expire Oct. 16, ’04. It calls for a total wage and benefit increase of six percent over the life of the agreement. The contract also sets a standard Internet rate of compensation…. Charlene Lilly has joined GTN, Oak Park, Mich., as an Avid editor. Earlier, she was an in-house offline editor for three years at Southfield, Mich. ad agency Doner….
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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