Epoch Films UK has signed London-based director and photographer Filmawi for representation in the U.K. In advertising, he has helmed photography and video campaigns for brands including Comme Des Garçons, Burberry, Adidas, Puma, and Dr Martens. Most recently he has collaborated with Hennessy, the NBA and Converse. For the latter, Filmawai directed a campaign featuring BAFTA-winning actor John Boyega in his hometown of London. Filmawi’s work is intrinsically connected with music, working with artists such as Stormzy, Post Malone, Slowthai, Jungle, DaBaby, Dizzie Rascal, Chance the Rapper, Wretch 32 and many more to create portraiture, tour visuals and album artworks. Filmawi recently collaborated with James Arthur, for which he explores a world of noise and confusion. It depicts the human journey of trying to find order in an intrinsically chaotic world….
San Francisco and Chicago-based agency Camp+King has brought Matt Hill aboard its Midwest production team as sr. producer. Hill is a Chicago native whose career spans a wide variety of verticals–broadcast production, line production, postproduction, experiential, and managing the development of digital technology products. Hill has worked with global and national clients including Nissan/Infiniti, Walgreens, Ace Hardware, Cox Communications, Xfinity, Sprint, Discover Financial Services, Clorox, Nestle, and more. Camp + King’s clients include brands such as Energizer, RE/MAX, and Papa John’s….
First-Time Feature Directors Make Major Splash At AFI Fest, Generate Oscar Buzz
Two first-time feature directors who are generating Oscar buzz this awards season were front and center this past weekend at AFI Fest in Hollywood. Rachel Morrison, who made history as the first woman nominated for a Best Cinematography Oscar---on the strength of Mudbound in 2018--brought her feature directorial debut, The Fire Inside (Amazon MGM Studios), to the festival on Sunday (10/27), and shared insights into the film during a conversation session immediately following the screening. This came a day after William Goldenberg, an Oscar-winning editor for Argo in 2013, had his initial foray into feature directing, Unstoppable (Amazon MGM Studios), showcased at the AFI proceedings. He too spoke after the screening during a panel discussion. The Fire Inside--which made its world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival--tells the story of Claressa “T-Rex” Shields (portrayed by Ryan Destiny), a Black boxer from Flint, Mich., who trained to become the first woman in U.S. history to win an Olympic Gold Medal in the sport. She achieved this feat--with the help of coach Jason Crutchfield (Brian Tyree Henry)--only to find that her victory at the Summer Games came with relatively little fanfare and no endorsement deals. So much for the hope that the historic accomplishment would be a ticket out of socioeconomic purgatory for Shields and her family. It seemed like yet another setback in a cycle of adversity throughout Shields’ life but she persevered, going on to win her second Gold Medal at the next Olympics and becoming a champion for gender equality and equitable pay for women in sports. Shields has served as a source of inspiration for woman athletes worldwide--as well as to the community of... Read More