Director Gavin Bowden has come aboard Los Angeles-headquartered A Band Apart for spot and music video representation….Crossroads Films, bicoastal and Chicago, has signed directors Andy Margetson and Julia Jason….CreoCollective, Santa Monica, has opened an office in London with Sean Feeney as executive producer….Berwyn Editorial, New York, has added Fran Gullo to its editorial roster….Zero 2 Sixty, New York, and Comotion Films, Atlanta, have entered into a joint marketing and production partnership. Additionally, director Mark Claywell has been signed by both companies for exclusive commercial representation. Zero 2 Sixty will represent Comotion directors—John Davis, Stephen Moe and Keith Adams—in the Northeast and Central regions, while Comotion will rep Zero’s Robert Mowen, Reginald Hudlin and Andras Mahr in the Southeast and Southwest areas….Fallon has announced the opening of Fallon Tokyo, which will be led by Tamio Koshino, president/chief creative officer, and Mitsuru Kubota, executive VP/managing partner, along with Phil Rubel, managing director. The agency also has offices in Minneapolis, New York, London, Singapore, Hong Kong and São Paulo….Composer Stuart Matthewman, a founding member of Sade and Sweetback, has signed with bicoastal Agent Jackson for spotwork….Mike Levesque Sr. and Mike Levesque Jr. have formed a partnership with Earth2mars, New York, creating audio post shop Nomad Post@Earth2mars…. Match Frame, a postproduction facility with offices in San Antonio and Austin, Texas, has signed Marcel Rodriguez as a creative editor for commercials. Rodriguez has worked in the documentary arena for the past eight years, and has contributed, in various capacities, to the feature films of his brother Robert Rodriguez, who’s repped for commercials via Los Angeles-based A Band Apart. 35mm….
Breakout Films and Major Takeaways From This Year’s Sundance Fest
Film wasn't the only thing on people's minds at this year's Sundance Film Festival, which comes to a close Sunday in Park City, Utah ( and online ).
The effects of the wildfires in Southern California loomed large, as did the bittersweet knowledge that this year will be the second to last Sundance based in Park City. Some films offered an escape from reality; others were a pointed reminder of the domestic and international political landscape, from transgender rights to the war in Ukraine.
Here are some of the key takeaways from the 41st edition of the festival.
The effects of the Southern California fires were deeply felt
The wildfires were still burning in parts of Los Angeles when Sundance began last week and reminders of its devastation were everywhere, even on screen. Max Walker-Silverman's "Rebuilding," starring Josh O'Connor as a cowboy who loses his ranch in a wildfire and forms a community with fellow survivors in a FEMA camp, hit close to home for many.
Filmmakers Meena Menon and Paul Gleason lost their home in Altadena where they filmed some of their zombie apocalypse movie "Didn't Die." Sundance artist labs head Michelle Satter lost her Palisades home as well. Satter had an audience of Sundance Institute donors in tears early in the festival while accepting an honor at a fundraising gala.
"It's a deeply devastating time for us and so many others, a moment that calls for all of us coming together to support our bigger community," Satter said. "As a friend recently noted, and I have to listen to this, 'Take a deep breath ... We lost our village, but at the end of the day we are the village.'"
The festival's move to another city dominated conversations
It was a topic... Read More