Directors Bram Van Alphen and Yvan Fabing have joined Slim–the Venice, Calif.-based production company headed by owner/EP Tom Weissferdt–for commercials and branded content in the U.S. Van Alphen is a lifestyle director with a background in design from the Advertising school and the Media Art Academy of Utrecht in the Netherlands. He is known for creating striking, dream-like imagery in everyday situations and has directed commercials for Kaufland, Helsana and most recently for Teylers Museum in Amsterdam. Fabing works primarily in fashion and often implements VFX to enhance his innate storytelling ability. Originally an art director on the ad agency side, he became a photographer in London before making the leap to directing. He has worked for several brands since then, including Y-3 Adidas, Givenchy and Nike….
WAX, which maintains shops in NY and Boston, has brought editor Alvaro del Val onto its roster. He brings 15 years of editorial experience to his new roost, having honed and established his cutting craft in Madrid and Dubai for global clients like McDonald’s, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, Nissan and Nestle before making his way to New York City and gaining a foothold in the American market over the past three years. His work ranges from commercials to music videos, short documentaries and films. His editing touch is evident in multiple Cannes Lions-winning projects for the likes of Fitbit, as well as the short documentary/film festival favorite The Kicking Yoda, Marriott’s documentary short series Storybooked and Volvo’s captivating “Song of the Open Road,” the latter earning an AICE Best Editing Award in the Automotive category….
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