There has been much speculation in the U.K. over who will buy London-based commercial/feature effects and post house The Moving Picture Company (MPC), but the wait may soon be over. MPC will reportedly announce the buyer within the next three weeks.…Germany-based post and effects house Das Werk had a fire at its Cologne facility last month; no one was injured. According to a company spokesperson, the technology was destroyed, but thanks to backup, no current or archived work was lost. Das Werk also maintains facilities in Frankfurt, Dusseldorf and Hamburg.… New York-based Quiet Man is launching a new design unit called Grasshopper. Quiet Man Inferno artist Mindy Dubin is creative director of the division, which will operate in expanded space in the same Midtown building….Director Scotty Bergstein, formerly of Area 51 Films, Santa Monica, has landed at Highway 61, New York….Area 51 has signed Hamburg-based director Marc Schoelermann for exclusive U.S. representation….Editors Bruce Ashkinos, Peter Mostert, Jim Rubino and Robin Burchill have teamed to launch an edit shop: Chemistry, New York. Sue Wladar will serve as executive producer for the new venture…. Noted colorist Chris Devlin has joined The Post Group, Hollywood, as senior commercial telecine artist….Wayne Hanson has been named San Francisco-based creative director at Attik, a global creative agency. He comes over from Lowe People, Stockholm, where he was an art director….
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