NY and Brooklyn-based production company Hornet has opened a shop in London. Hornet’s partnerships and long running history in the U.K. made London a fitting choice, as the studio has produced numerous award-winning campaigns and noteworthy adverts there over the past 10 years. Hornet’s new venture will lend greater support to its international roster while also laying the foundation to seek out and develop new talent in the U.K. Veteran producer Lisa Hill (most recently of Passion Pictures) will take the reins of Hornet London as EP. Hornet London will represent directors Yves Geleyn, Dan & Jason, Peter Sluszka, Julia Pott, Gabe Askew, Eran Hilleli and Parallel. London-based director David Luepschen will join the roster in February….L.A. production company DUCK Studios has signed Milan-based creative studio Dadomani for representation. Dadomani’s team consists of four members whose talents combine into one singular creative vision: Donato Di Carlo (postproduction), Leonardo Ponzano (set design), Francesco De Meo (set design) and Faio Cirilli (animation). They develop and manage projects from the initial idea up to the delivery of the finished product. For stop motion, Dadomani animates a range of mediums including paper cut-outs, clay, and found objects. They enjoy the juxtaposition of colored sets with minimalist characters. Dadomani has completed work for clients including Coach, Lavazza, McDonald’s, Barilla and Vodaphone….Rob Meltzer, director of Dove Men+Care’s 2015 Super Bowl spot “Calls for Dad” (a version repurposed from his original Father’s Day ad), has launched L.A.-based production company RINGER along with EP Sven Shelgren. Already under the RINGER banner, Meltzer has directed projects for Coca-Cola, AT&T, the NBA, Bravo and Nickelodeon. In addition to his spot work, Meltzer is a prolific director of TV promos, turning out campaigns for NBC, ABC, CBS, TBS, Discovery, Food Network and Bravo….
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