Paydirt Pictures has added young Danish director Emil Kahr to its roster. Kahr won the Silver at the Cannes Lions Young Director Awards in 2012 for his graceful and poignant Nikon spot “Until Now,” a progression from an earlier piece shortlisted for the same award in 2010. Kahr has directed projects for top brands like Nike, Cartier and Opel, and worked with agencies such as Mazarine Paris, Saatchi & Saatchi, and Grey. Recent work includes spots for Knob Creek and Thai Airways….Director Jody Dwyer has joined the commercial roster of MRB Productions, a Hollywood shop specializing in television, features, new media and commercial content. Dwyer, trained as a film editor in London, has worked in Europe, Asia and Australia, and has over 20 years of directorial experience. Dwyer has quite an extensive roster of successful projects under his belt, such as Coca-Cola’s “Bungee,” Hungry Jack’s “Jailbreak,” and Acuvue’s “Comfort.” His feature film Dying Breed premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2008. Dwyer joins a roster of directors at MRB that includes Stephen Gyllenhaal, Mark Teitelman, Jamie Babbit, Branson Veal, Chuchie Hill and Jeremy Haft….Director/DP Nicol�s Puenzo has joined Venice, Calif.-based Carbo Films for U.S. commercial representation. Growing up in a household with an Oscar-nominated director as a father and feature film and commercial directors for siblings, Puenzo has been involved with filmmaking since birth. He began directing commercials at 24 and has helmed spots for the likes of Coca-Cola, Budweiser, Unilever, MasterCard, Honda and Chevrolet. Alongside his brother, director Pepe Puenzo, he co-founded Puenzo Hnos (Puenzo Brothers), a commercial production company with offices in Buenos Aires and Santiago. Nicol�s Puenzo also started 3DN, a Buenos Aires-based visual effects studio….Schuyler Vanden Bergh joins R&R Partners to take over as creative director on the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority account. Previously, he worked at TBWA/Chiat/Day, where he handled Nissan/Infiniti, Energizer and XM Satellite Radio; Team One, where he handled Lexus and FlexJet; and Vitro, where he handled ASICS sportswear….Envision Media Arts (EMA), headed by president/CEO Lee Nelson, has just wrapped principal photography on its newest feature film, FREEZER. EMA is currently in postproduction on the film. Mikael Salomon directed from a script by Tom Doganoglu and Shane Weisfeld. Nelson and David Buelow are producers for EMA….
Utah Leaders and Locals Rally To Keep Sundance Film Festival In The State
With the 2025 Sundance Film Festival underway, Utah leaders, locals and longtime attendees are making a final push — one that could include paying millions of dollars — to keep the world-renowned film festival as its directors consider uprooting.
Thousands of festivalgoers affixed bright yellow stickers to their winter coats that read "Keep Sundance in Utah" in a last-ditch effort to convince festival leadership and state officials to keep it in Park City, its home of 41 years.
Gov. Spencer Cox said previously that Utah would not throw as much money at the festival as other states hoping to lure it away. Now his office is urging the Legislature to carve out $3 million for Sundance in the state budget, weeks before the independent film festival is expected to pick a home for the next decade.
It could retain a small presence in picturesque Park City and center itself in nearby Salt Lake City, or move to another finalist — Cincinnati, Ohio, or Boulder, Colorado — beginning in 2027.
"Sundance is Utah, and Utah is Sundance. You can't really separate those two," Cox said. "This is your home, and we desperately hope it will be your home forever."
Last year's festival generated about $132 million for the state of Utah, according to Sundance's 2024 economic impact report.
Festival Director Eugene Hernandez told reporters last week that they had not made a final decision. An announcement is expected this year by early spring.
Colorado is trying to further sweeten its offer. The state is considering legislation giving up to $34 million in tax incentives to film festivals like Sundance through 2036 — on top of the $1.5 million in funds already approved to lure the Utah festival to its neighboring... Read More