Directors Augusto Fraga and Anthony Furlong have joined the roster of Santa Monica, Calif.-based Little Minx. The Portugal-born, Barcelona-based Fraga brings versatility to Little Minx as he’s not just worked on numerous commercials, but music videos, short films and other visual pieces, a style that fits well within the production company’s eclectic wheelhouse. Fraga has turned out projects for the likes of Adidas, Playstation 4, Nivea, Vodafone, NOS, a new campaign for beer brand, Bitburger, as well as an upcoming Coca-Cola film for the Olympics that’s set to wrap up early next year. While his directing career has led him to collaborate with some of the world’s biggest athletes including Leo Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Rafael Nadal and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Fraga now has his lens set on American sports. Meanwhile director/designer Furlong earned an Emmy in art direction last year for his work on the NBC’s Sunday Night Football intro starring Carrie Underwood. Prior to joining Little Minx, the Brooklyn, NY-based Furlong served as director and creative director at production companies including Harpoon Pictures, Shilo and 1stAveMachine….
Los Angeles-based creative studio Eskimo has opened an office in Philadelphia as part of its expansion into the East Coast and to better accommodate its growing staff as well as full-service production/post capabilities. Heading up the Philadelphia shop is 10-year production vet Kristofer Barton, who joins Eskimo as partner/executive producer. During his career, Barton has worked as a producer at various Philadelphia-based shops including production outfit Neighborhood Film Company and ad agency 160over90, collaborating with hometown clients such as the Philadelphia Eagles along the way. Early on, Barton logged time as a producer’s assistant, working closely with notable director and fellow Philly native, M. Night Shyamalan….
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