The directing duo known as Roenberg—consisting of Joachim Roenning and Espen Sandberg—has signed with Santa Monica-based boutique production house Motion Blur for exclusive spot representation in the U.S. Roenberg’s was last handled in the U.S. by Public Works, which closed last year. The duo has spent the past 10 months helming work exclusively in Europe….Venice, Calif.-headquartered Cucoloris Films has brought on two directors—Christian Johnston and Natasha Uppal….Rupert Samuel and David Rolfe have been promoted to co-directors of broadcast production at Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Miami, where they had been senior producers. Sara Gennet-Lopez, former VP/director of broadcast production at the shop, has been upped to the newly created position of VP/broadcast business manager….Annette Suarez has been promoted to director of broadcast production at Margeotes|Fertitta + Partners, New York….Miramax Films has bought the screen rights to Derailed, the novel written by BBDO New York vice chairman/senior executive creative director Jimmy Siegel (2/21/03, p. 7). The thriller—which Siegel penned under the name James Siegel—centers on an agency creative director who has an affair that leads to devastating consequences. No word on who will direct or play the lead in the film….Andy Milkis is returning to New York visual effects/design house Splash and assuming his former title of creative director/visual effects—but with expanded duties on the business end. He now additionally manages the creative team and company workflow. Milkis originally departed Splash to launch his own company, the now defunct Trans Lunar Injection.….Dan Ford has come aboard Steam Films, Toronto as executive producer….Brooklyn Heights, N.Y.-based music house Downtown Composer Collective has reached an affiliation agreement with sound design company Clatter & Din, Seattle….
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