Director Scotty Bergstein has signed with TWC Films, Los Angeles, for exclusive representation in the U.S. The move reunites him with TWC managing director/executive producer Mark Thomas. The pair first worked together at Area 51 Films. Bergstein was last repped by production house Mechaniks.
Bergstein landed his first break as Ridley Scott's assistant on the movie Thelma and Louise. Having the incredible opportunity to watch and learn from directors like Tony and Ridley Scott, and David Fincher, Bergstein considers his time with them to be comparable to the best directing school in the country. "It was directing 101," he said, "I was able to watch the whole movie process from early script development all the way through postproduction." Upon finishing his spec reel in 1997, Bergstein soon thereafter saw ESPN pick up the spot that launched his directing career, "Cable Boy."
Bergstein's credits span such brands as Adidas, McDonalds, AT&T, Verizon, Heineken, Bud Light, Foot Locker, Exxon, Goodyear, NBA, KSwiss, Reese's, TaylorMade and Toyota.
TWC is represented by Lori Benson on the East Coast, Jen Giles in the Midwest, and Toni Saarinen and Brandon Pico on the West Coast.
Bill Condon, Jennifer Lopez Unveil โKiss of the Spider Womanโ At Sundance
A lavish, MGM-style musical is not typical Sundance Film Festival fare. But Sunday night Bill Condon brought such a creationโwell, part of oneโto Park City, Utah, with his adaptation of "Kiss of the Spider Woman," starring Jennifer Lopez.
Audiences broke out in spontaneous applause during the screening for Lopez's song and dance numbers. She plays an old Hollywood screen siren in a movie-within-the movie. The packed Eccles Theater also gave Lopez, wearing a glittery spiderweb themed frock, a standing ovation after the show.
"I've been waiting for this moment my whole life," Lopez said.
The story, which revolves around the conversations between two cellmates in an Argentine prison, was first a novel by Manuel Puig in 1976 and has been adapted for stage and screen over the years. A 1985 film adaptation starred William Hurt and Raul Julia. Hurt won an Oscar for his performance. On Broadway, it won multiple Tony Awards.
Condon wrote and directed this new version, which is seeking a distributor. Diego Luna plays an imprisoned revolutionary Valentin Arregui, whose new cellmate Luis Molina (Tonatiuh) loves movies, celebrity and glamour and enthusiastically recounts the story of a favorite movie musical, called "Kiss of the Spider Woman" to Valentin, giving them and the audience a break from their bleak reality.
While the film has memorable moments of escapist spectacle, it also delves into serious topics of gender identity. Molina tells Valentin that they don't feel like a man or a womanโwhich Valentin finds odd at first but grows to understand.
Before the screening, Condon said that one of the things the movie is about is "the attempt to bridge the incredible differences that separate us so often." He quoted President... Read More