Director Lance Kelleher has joined production house PHOTOPLAY for representation in Australia, New Zealand and Asia. His credits includes campaigns for Jaguar, Canon, Renault Global, Lexus, Jim Beam, Qantas, Alfa Romeo, Chevrolet, Coca-Cola, BMW, Heineken, Sony and Samsung. Kelleher is the director behind the multi-award winning TAC commercial “The Ride” (Australia). His most recent work includes projects for Herbalife (USA/global), IKEA (Europe), Nationwide Insurance (USA), Jim Beam (Global), VW (China) and Rexona (Australia). Over the years, he has accrued creative awards at major international shows such as Cannes, D&AD, One Show, Clios and New York Festivals….
Toronto-based Partners Film has added director Daniel Sheppard to its roster for Canadian representation. He continues to be with Superlounge in the U.S., and was formerly at The Corner Store for Canadian representation. Sheppard brings a combination of clever, dry comedic performance direction and creative collaboration to the table. His commercial work includes directing for clients such as Advil, Boston Pizza, Wendy’s, Canadian Tire, Walmart and Ford….
The Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF)–which will run from Sept. 20-24–is now accepting entries for competition in 2017. Entries are due May 26, and there is no entry fee. OIAF invites animators from around the globe to submit their recent work in the following major categories: Animated Feature; Narrative Animated Short; Non-Narrative Animated Short; Student Animation; Commissioned Animation; Short Preschool Animation Made for Children 0-5; Short Animation Made for Children 6-12; Preschool Animation Series Made for Children 0-5; and Animation Series Made for Children 6-12. In addition to category prizes, submissions will also be considered for a variety of craft and other awards including the Film Critic’s Prize, which is new to 2017. Each year the OIAF receives more than 2,000 entries that are reviewed by the Festival’s programming team. Approximately 150 films will be chosen for Official Competition and Out-of-Competition Showcase screenings. For more info, click here….
Jennifer Kent On Why Her Feature Directing Debut, “The Babadook,” Continues To Haunt Us
"The Babadook," when it was released 10 years ago, didn't seem to portend a cultural sensation.
It was the first film by a little-known Australian filmmaker, Jennifer Kent. It had that strange name. On opening weekend, it played in two theaters.
But with time, the long shadows of "The Babadook" continued to envelop moviegoers. Its rerelease this weekend in theaters, a decade later, is less of a reminder of a sleeper 2014 indie hit than it is a chance to revisit a horror milestone that continues to cast a dark spell.
Not many small-budget, first-feature films can be fairly said to have shifted cinema but Kent's directorial debut may be one of them. It was at the nexus of that much-debated term "elevated horror." But regardless of that label, it helped kicked off a wave of challenging, filmmaker-driven genre movies like "It Follows," "Get Out" and "Hereditary."
Kent, 55, has watched all of this — and those many "Babadook" memes — unfold over the years with a mix of elation and confusion. Her film was inspired in part by the death of her father, and its horror elements likewise arise out of the suppression of emotions. A single mother (Essie Davis) is struggling with raising her young son (Noah Wiseman) years after the tragic death of her husband. A figure from a pop-up children's book begins to appear. As things grow more intense, his name is drawn out in three chilling syllables — "Bah-Bah-Doooook" — an incantation of unprocessed grief.
Kent recently spoke from her native Australia to reflect on the origins and continuing life of "The Babadook."
Q: Given that you didn't set out to in any way "change" horror, how have you regarded the unique afterlife of "The... Read More