Director Lenard Dorfman has joined bicoastal/international Morton Jankel Zander (MJZ). He was previously with bicoastal/international @radical.media….Director Robert Hales has signed with bicoastal X-Ray Productions for commercial representation, and with bicoastal merge@crossroads for music videos….Sam Ketay, an up-and-coming director who will be featured at the Clio Festival next month as part of SHOOT’s New Directors search, has signed with @radical.media….Director Anders Hallberg has signed with bicoastal/international Believe Media….Editor Ed Patrowicz, a founder and partner at New York-based Nice Shoes, has decided to retire from the industry. As part of his responsibilities, newly added senior VP Richard Cormier will handle Patrowicz’s duties as managing director of Nice Shoes’ sister companies Guava and Freestyle Collective….Jennifer Ingalls has joined Area 51 Films, Santa Monica, as head of production. She was formerly a staff producer at bicoastal HSI Productions….Carol Mauriello has joined Serious Robots, Raleigh, N.C., as executive producer. She had previously been a visual effects producer at Quiet Man, New York….Diana Lochridge has joined Crossroads Television as creative director/producer….Jamie Day and Patrick Lindsay of McCarthy Mambro Bertino, Boston, are the winners of the 2004 "Team USA" competition, which determines the U.S. entrants at the Cannes International Advertising Festival’s Young Creative Competition. Because of a scheduling conflict, the team will not be able to attend the event; instead, Jason Hoff and Sherrod Melvin of BBDO New York, who came in second, will represent the U.S. at the ad fest….Editors Hank Corwin of bicoastal Lost Planet and Chris Franklin of Big Sky Editorial, New York, top the field of finalists for the Association of Independent Creative Editors (AICE) Awards. Spots cut by Corwin received six finalist nominations, followed by five for Franklin-edited fare. Best-editing winners across 11 categories will be announced and honored during a gala awards ceremony on May 13 at Soldier Field, Chicago. The festivities will also include the induction of three Chicago stalwart editors into the AICE Hall of Fame: Jimmy Smyth, founder and former owner of Optimus, Chicago; Bob Blanford of now defunct Editor’s Choice; and Tony Izzo of the since closed Edit/Chicago. Look for detailed coverage of the AICE finalists and Hall of Fame inductees in next week’s SHOOT….
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