Filmmaker behind the lauded “The Last Black Man in San Francisco” lands his first representation in ad arena
Bicoastal production partner m ss ng p eces has added Joe Talbot to its directorial roster. Talbot is best known for directing and co-writing The Last Black Man in San Francisco (A24), his feature film debut and one of the most critically acclaimed pictures of 2019. This signing marks his first commercial representation.
Talbot co-created The Last Black Man in San Francisco with his childhood best friend and longtime professional collaborator Jimmie Fails, adapted from Fails’ life story. The film premiered at Sundance, where it earned the Best Director and Special Jury Awards, and was released theatrically by A24 in June of this year. It was named a Critic’s Pick byThe New York Times, where Manolah Dargis wrote that it was an “astonishing, haunting and indelibly beautiful story of love.” Rolling Stone called it the “best film of 2019.” This year, Talbot and Fails also co-founded their film production company, Longshot Features, based in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
A fifth-generation San Franciscan, Talbot was recently nominated in multiple categories at the Gotham and Independent Spirit Awards. In the latter competition, The Last Black Man in San Francisco is up for Best First Feature, Best Supporting Actor for Jonathan Majors, and Talbot is a nominee for the Someone to Watch Award.
Talbot first gained critical attention with his award-winning 2017 short film American Paradise, which premiered at Sundance and also screened at SXSW, the L.A. Film Festival, Palm Springs ShortFest, and many others, in addition to being a Vimeo Staff Pick.
“Through his extraordinary film, Joe has shown that he’s a wholly original new voice in cinema. I can’t wait to see how he translates his unique brand of emotional storytelling and visually rich filmmaking to the commercial world,” said Kate Oppenheim, managing partner at m ss ng p eces.
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