Director Rick Knief, formerly of Crossroads Films, bicoastal and Chicago, has joined Nola Pictures, a recently formed New York-based production house headed by executive producer Charlie Curran. Knief comes aboard a Nola directorial roster that includes Kim Dempster, Jerry Simpson and Kenny Morrison….The directorial duo Aggressive–a.k.a. Dan Shapiro and Alex Topaller–has signed with New York-headquartered commercial production house Zero 2 Sixty for exclusive representation….Editor Damion Clayton has joined bicoastal Spot Welders. Clayton, who will work out of the company’s New York office, comes over from Bikini Edit, New York….New York-based Chemistry has added editor Hannah Neufeld. She spent the past five years at wild(child) Editorial, New York….
A Similar But Different Take On A Feature Film Debut
Similar But Different is not only the moniker for the directorial duo of Dani Girdwood and Charlotte Fassler but also in some respects an apt description of their feature filmmaking debut, My Fault: London (Amazon MGM Studios). The movie, which premiered last week on Amazon Prime Video, has on one level some select elements similar to what we’re accustomed to in the young adult (YA) universe--which helps make it familiar, comfortable and relatable--yet at the same time My Fault: London brings a new, decidedly different dimension to YA entertainment, uniquely meshing action-adventure, mystery, music, romance and humor. The film captures the feel of the underground London culture, lending an authenticity and contemporary vibe that’s a departure from the norm when it comes to the adaptation of YA literature. This mesh of similar but different has served the film well in that there was some target audience skepticism initially over the notion of doing an English adaptation of the popular, fan-favorite Spanish-language novel “Culpa Mia,” the first of the “Culpables” trilogy. Thus it’s most gratifying for Girdwood and Fassler to see the social media response after the release of My Fault: London, with many viewers enthusiastically embracing the film. My Fault: London introduces us to Noah (portrayed by Asha Banks) who’s uprooted from her U.S. hometown, having to leave her boyfriend and friends behind to move with her mother (Eve Macklin) to London. Mom has a new rich husband (Ray Fearon) in London and their new residence is a mansion. There Noah meets Nick (Matthew Broome), her new stepbrother. They have an immediate mutual dislike for each other which blossoms into something quite different over time. Along the... Read More