Director Adriano Falconi, known for his visual sensibilities and casting acumen, has signed with Chelsea for representation. Since moving to the U.S. in 2000, the Italian native has helmed spots for such clients as MasterCard, Jagermeister, Fiat Group and Puma…..FilmTecknarna, the storytelling and design studio with headquarters in Stockholm and offices in New York, recently added Barcelona-based director collective Bungalow to its roster. Bungalow's skillset spans live action, still photography, motion design, illustration and animation….Editorial house Beast, with shops throughout the country, has brought former ad agency producer Mary Ellen Farrar to oversee commercial editing and post work at its Austin, TX location. Farrar has spent the past two decades as a producer. Most recently she was on staff at the Seattle office of Publicis, where she worked on spots for Washington Lottery, Dish Network, Citi and the popular T-Mobile “myFaves” and “myTouch” campaigns….Optimus, the post and production house with offices in Chicago and Santa Monica, has promoted one-time assistant editors Julie Kravitz and Brad Tohtz to full-fledged editors….
Karla SofÃa Gascón Could Make Trans History For Role In “Emilia Pérez”
Karla SofÃa Gascón's performance in "Emilia Pérez" as a Mexican drug lord who undergoes gender affirmation surgery to become a woman has brought her global acclaim and set Gascón on a path that may make her the first openly transgender actor ever nominated for an Oscar. But on this morning, she's feeling contemplative. "I woke up with such a philosophical streak," Gascón says, smiling. "In life, everything can be good or bad. We are a mix of so many things. There are things that make you happy and instead they make you sad, or the other way around." The dichotomies of life are a fitting subject for Jacques Audiard's "Emilia Pérez," a film that puts just about every genre — musical, crime thriller, melodrama — into a grandiose mixer, and, by sheer nerve, manages to coalesce into one of the year's most memorable movie experiences. "Emilia Pérez," which began streaming Wednesday on Netflix, is widely expected to be a best picture nominee. At the center of the "Emilia Pérez" phenomenon – which began with a barn-storming premiere at the Cannes Film Festival — is Gascón who plays both the menacing cartel kingpin Manitas and the woman who emerges after Manitas fakes his own death, Emilia Pérez. Years later, Emilia contacts the lawyer who facilitated her transition (Zoe Saldaña) to her reunite with her wife (Selena Gomez) and their children. The wild swings of "Emilia Pérez" – a movie that has earned comparisons to both "Sicario" and "Mrs. Doubtfire" – wouldn't be possible without Gascón. In Cannes, she and her co-stars shared in the best actress prize, which Gascón accepted. "We've been insulted, denigrated, subjected to a lot of violence without even knowing why," Gascón said that evening. "I think this is award is so much more... Read More