Toronto-based boutique production company Someplace Nice has added Jonathan Zames to its roster for representation in Canada. Born in Montreal and now based in New York, Zames shoots on an international scale and works in both French and English. He has a background and expertise as a cinematographer, screenwriter, and creative director. Zames has helmed campaigns for brands such as Apple, Samsung, Tide, Smirnoff and Gillette, and worked with production companies including Caviar and Bullitt. Prior to this, he served as a lead creative for Google, overseeing the video creative for many of the brand’s campaigns. Particular campaign highlights include “Celebrity Assistant” for Visa, which played at Toronto International Film Festival screenings in 2019 and showcased Zames’ versatility with improvisation, small casts, and minimal setups, and “Stuffed in a Room” for Little Caesars. Originally shot for Canadian markets, the campaign has since expanded to the U.S., recently debuting across multiple formats. Zames’ work has been recognized on a global scale, with campaigns celebrated at Cannes Lions, AICP Awards, AD STARS, and the Telly Awards–including the 2017 Cannes Lions-winning “Pride for Everyone” work for Google….
Review: Director Ben Taylor’s “Joy”
Toward the end of Netflix's "Joy," the muffled cry of a newborn baby prompts a man and woman in a hospital to embrace out of pure bliss. They aren't the parents, but they had as much to do with the birth as the mom and dad.
This charming and winning movie charts the decade-long true story of how the world's first IVF baby was born in England in 1978 — a 5-pound, 12-ounce girl who paved the way for millions more. It's an upbeat, very English affair, mixing sober discussion of endometriosis with chocolate biscuits.
The couple embracing that day were pioneering scientist Robert Edwards and Jean Purdy, a young nurse and embryologist. Together with surgeon Patrick Steptoe, the trio succeeded with in vitro fertilization, a method of treating infertility. Edwards would go on to win the Nobel Prize.
"Joy" has been birthed at a time when science is under threat in America — even IVF — so it's downright inspiring to see plucky, smart scientists working hard to change the world. "What we're doing, it matters," says Steptoe, played with quiet economy by Bill Nighy.
"Joy" is the personal stories of the three scientists — mostly through the eyes of Purdy, a polite lab-coated warrior. "If I hear a commotion, I'm not very good at staying out of it," she says. Perfectly played by Thomasin McKenzie, Purdy is both vulnerable and strong, learning through the process to be a better human. James Norton plays Edwards with charm, self-doubt and calm spirit.
Jack Thorne's script nicely explains the massive pressure the trio faced. IVF may have become common and uncontroversial over the last decades, but back in the late '70s it was experimental and shunned. The Anglican church called it a sin, the newspapers labeled it Frankenstein-ish and other... Read More