Director Marina Zenovich, who won two primetime Emmy Awards this year for her documentary Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired, has inked a deal with Beverly Hills-headquartered Saville Productions for representation in commercials.
On the strength of the Polanski documentary, Zenovich earned this year’s Emmy both for outstanding directing as well as outstanding writing for nonfiction programming. (The writing honor was shared with fellow writers Joe Bini and P.G. Morgan). The feature-length doc. aired on HBO after the network acquired it at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival.
Just a couple weeks after the Emmy wins on Sept. 12, the Polanski documentary took on added significance and became a hot topic of discussion when filmmaker Polanski was arrested by Swiss police for possible extradition to the U.S. for having sex in 1977 with a 13-year-old girl. Polanski is currently in custody at a Swiss jail (he had flown into Switzerland to receive an honorary award at the Zurich Film Festival) awaiting what looks like pending extradition to the U.S. to stand trial on a 31-year-old arrest warrant.
Zenovich’s Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired is a fascinating and compelling study of the judicial system and the nature of celebrity. The documentary earned acclaim at both the Sundance and Cannes Film Festivals.
“Marina’s style of directing is gripping and entertaining and lends itself to those commercials or branded content films that are trying to communicate a strong message,” said Johnny Doran, Saville’s executive producer. “Marina’s ability to put people at ease results in a rare honesty in her filmmaking.”
Prior to directing, Zenovich acted in theater and film and believes it helps her enormously as a filmmaker. “I think acting teaches you to really listen, and I think people aren’t used to really listening these days,” said Zenovich. “When interviewees feel that you’re listening, they open up more than they would normally.”
Zenovich’s other directorial film credits include: Who Is Bernard Tapie?, a study of the French former politician/convicted criminal turned actor; and Estonia Dreams of Eurovision!, which centers on the wacky world of Tallin, Estonia, as it prepares to host the Eurovision Song Contest. Her first documentary, Independent’s Day, a look at the struggles of independent filmmakers set at the Sundance and Slamdance Film Festivals, featured Steven Soderbergh, Neil Labute and Greg Mottola.
Zenovich has also profiled Julian Schnabel, Robert Wilson, John Baldessari, Takashi Murakami and David Lynch for Gallery HD’s Art in Progress series.
Apple and Google Face UK Investigation Into Mobile Browser Dominance
Apple and Google aren't giving consumers a genuine choice of mobile web browsers, a British watchdog said Friday in a report that recommends they face an investigation under new U.K. digital rules taking effect next year.
The Competition and Markets Authority took aim at Apple, saying the iPhone maker's tactics hold back innovation by stopping rivals from giving users new features like faster webpage loading. Apple does this by restricting progressive web apps, which don't need to be downloaded from an app store and aren't subject to app store commissions, the report said.
"This technology is not able to fully take off on iOS devices," the watchdog said in a provisional report on its investigation into mobile browsers that it opened after an initial study concluded that Apple and Google effectively have a chokehold on "mobile ecosystems."
The CMA's report also found that Apple and Google manipulate the choices given to mobile phone users to make their own browsers "the clearest or easiest option."
And it said that the a revenue-sharing deal between the two U.S. Big Tech companies "significantly reduces their financial incentives" to compete in mobile browsers on Apple's iOS operating system for iPhones.
Both companies said they will "engage constructively" with the CMA.
Apple said it disagreed with the findings and said it was concerned that the recommendations would undermine user privacy and security.
Google said the openness of its Android mobile operating system "has helped to expand choice, reduce prices and democratize access to smartphones and apps" and that it's "committed to open platforms that empower consumers."
It's the latest move by regulators on both sides of the Atlantic to crack down on the... Read More