Director Eric Steinman, formerly of bicoastal Headquarters, has come aboard Trio Films, Venice, Calif….A Band Apart has signed director Thomas Krygier. The Los Angeles-based production company will represent Krygier for spotwork in the U.S.… Director Jb Carlin has joined Metro Pictures USA, the Venice-headquartered shop headed by executive producer Craig Farkas….Prodigy Films, Melbourne and Sydney, has added director Charles Williams and producer Joel Kohn to its team….Ross Scroble has joined Charlex as senior character animator in its 3-D department. He comes over from Blue Sky Studios, Harrison, N.Y, where he served as technical lead animator….John Schwartzman, ASC rode Seabiscuit to victory in the feature film competition at the 18th Annual American Society of Cinematographers Outstanding Achievement Awards. Schwartzman, who is repped as a director/cinematographer for commmercials by bicoastal RSA USA, said after the ceremony, "I’m honored to be a member of ASC. This [award] is the greatest honor for me that there is because it comes from my peers … The opportunity to work with someone like [Seabiscuit director] Gary Ross was the ride of a lifetime." Schwartzman, who mixes commercial and feature work, recently lensed a Dodge spot directed by David Kellogg of bicoastal Anonymous Content. At press time, he was about to embark on a Gatorade shoot with director Baker Smith of Santa Monica-based harvest….
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