Production company Merchant has added directing duo The Perlorian Brothers to its roster for representation in the Canadian commercial and film market. Almost two decades of commercial work has seen the directorial team collaborate with major brands including Nike, IKEA, Mastercard, Nestea, Klarna, Tymex, Budlight and Mountain Dew, as well as agencies such as BBDO, Mother, Goodby Silverstein & Partners, Arnold, DDB, and Wieden+Kennedy, among others. The Perlorian Brothers have won critical acclaim and numerous awards for their commercial work from shows including Cannes Lions, D&AD, the One Show, Clio, The Bessies and the Andy Awards….
KODE has signed London-based director, filmmaker and writer Caleb Femi for U.K. representation spanning commercials, branded content and music videos. A widely successful writer and poet, Femi in 2016 was named London’s first Young Poet Laureate. He worked to connect and engage with marginalized, disenfranchised young people through the medium of poetry, encouraging them to voice their experiences through a dedicated platform. Femi’s 2020 debut book, entitled “POOR,” won the Forward Prize for Best First Collection. Femi has notably directed Louis Vuitton’s fall/winter 2022 collection film for the last collection designed by their creative director Virgil Abloh before his passing–the film was one of many collaborations between the pair. Femi has also made films for Mulberry, TikTok, Bottega Veneta, and NCS. In addition, Femi has directed episodes for the BBC and for the HBO series Industry, written and directed short films for the BBC and Channel 4….
Rom-Com Mainstay Hugh Grant Shifts To The Dark Side and He’s Never Been Happier
After some difficulties connecting to a Zoom, Hugh Grant eventually opts to just phone instead.
"Sorry about that," he apologizes. "Tech hell." Grant is no lover of technology. Smart phones, for example, he calls the "devil's tinderbox."
"I think they're killing us. I hate them," he says. "I go on long holidays from them, three or four days at at time. Marvelous."
Hell, and our proximity to it, is a not unrelated topic to Grant's new film, "Heretic." In it, two young Mormon missionaries (Chloe East, Sophie Thatcher) come knocking on a door they'll soon regret visiting. They're welcomed in by Mr. Reed (Grant), an initially charming man who tests their faith in theological debate, and then, in much worse things.
After decades in romantic comedies, Grant has spent the last few years playing narcissists, weirdos and murders, often to the greatest acclaim of his career. But in "Heretic," a horror thriller from A24, Grant's turn to the dark side reaches a new extreme. The actor who once charmingly stammered in "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and who danced to the Pointer Sisters in "Love Actually" is now doing heinous things to young people in a basement.
"It was a challenge," Grant says. "I think human beings need challenges. It makes your beer taste better in the evening if you've climbed a mountain. He was just so wonderfully (expletive)-up."
"Heretic," which opens in theaters Friday, is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, co-writers of "A Quiet Place." In Grant's hands, Mr. Reed is a divinely good baddie — a scholarly creep whose wry monologues pull from a wide range of references, including, fittingly, Radiohead's "Creep."
In an interview, Grant spoke about these and other facets of his character, his journey... Read More