Though some details were sketchy at press time, SHOOT confirmed that A Band Apart’s spot operation has closed. Managing director Jeff Armstrong said company principal Lawrence Bender informed him of the decision to shutter the shop last week. Armstrong in turn made staffers and directors aware of the closure. A SHOOT phone call to Bender had not been returned at press time. Armstrong said he was disappointed over the decision to shut down A Band Apart in that he felt there were viable alternatives. There’s been some speculation that some of the talent at A Band Apart might stay together and form another venture; Armstrong related that he was still considering his options. He said his immediate priorities were trying to help staffers deal with the turn of events while also making creditors aware of the situation. Armstrong added that he is among those creditors. Among the directors on the A Band Apart roster were Marcel Langenegger, Coodie & Chike, Brendan Donovan, Per Dreyer, Derek Horn, Jennifer Little, Michael Palmieri, Corbett Scott, Martin Weisz and James White……EUE/Screen Gems has shuttered its New York-based Highway 61 production company satellite. Highway 61 was most recently headed up by exec producer Marc Rosenberg and at the time of its closing represented directors Rupert Wainwright, Eddy Chu, Tom Cartier and Doug Coleman. “The decision to close Highway 61 is part of an ongoing strategic plan here at Screen Gems that will include the opening of additional satellites in the future,” said EUE principal Chris Cooney in a released statement. “We’re also going to focus on further developing our growing business in the areas of branded entertainment, television and feature film production and distribution.”….Saville Productions, Beverly Hills, has signed director Joachim Hellinger, a.k.a. Helli, for exclusive U.S. representation. He is best known for his work in European action spots and documentaries….Director Jeff Labbe has joined Fools and Horses, Los Angeles….U.K.’s Passion Pictures has added directors Carl Zitelmann and Nathasha Rand….Troika Design Group, Hollywood, has brought Dale Everett on board as creative director….
“Atropia” and “Twinless” Win Marquee Prizes At Sundance Film Festival
The war satire “Atropia,” about actors in a military role-playing facility, won the grand jury prize in the Sundance Film Festival’s U.S. dramatic competition, while the Dylan O’Brien movie “Twinless” got the coveted audience award.
Juries and programmers for the 41st edition of the independent film festival announced the major prizewinners Friday in Park City, Utah.
Other grand jury winners included the documentaries “Seeds,” about farmers in rural Georgia and “Cutting Through the Rocks,” about the first elected councilwoman in an Iranian village. The Indian drama “Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears),” about a city dweller mourning his father in the western Indian countryside, won the top prize in the world cinema competition.
“It’s for my dad,” said writer and director Rohan Parashuram Kanawade. His late father, he said, was the one who encouraged him to pursue filmmaking.
Audiences also get to vote on their own awards, where James Sweeney’s “Twinless,” about the bromance between two men who meet in a twin bereavement support group, triumphed in the U.S. dramatic category. O’Brien also won a special jury award for his acting.
The U.S. documentary audience award went to “André is an Idiot,” a life-affirming film about dying of colon cancer. Other audience picks were “Prime Minister,” about former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, and “DJ Ahmet,” a coming-of-age film about a 15-year-old boy in North Macedonia.
Mstyslav Chernov, the Oscar-winning Associated Press journalist, won the world cinema documentary directing award for his latest dispatch from Ukraine, “2000 Meters to Andriivka,” a joint production between the AP and PBS Frontline.
“Here’s to all... Read More