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.
Disney Pledges $15 million In L.A. Fire Aid As More Celebs Learn They’ve Lost Their Homes
The Pacific Palisades wildfires torched the home of "This Is Us" star Milo Ventimiglia, perhaps most poignantly destroying the father-to-be's newly installed crib.
CBS cameras caught the actor walking through his charred house for the first time, standing in what was once his kitchen and looking at a neighborhood in ruin. "Your heart just breaks."
He and his pregnant wife, Jarah Mariano, evacuated Tuesday with their dog and they watched on security cameras as the flames ripped through the house, destroying everything, including a new crib.
"There's a kind of shock moment where you're going, 'Oh, this is real. This is happening.' What good is it to continue watching?' And then at a certain point we just turned it off, like 'What good is it to continue watching?'"
Firefighters sought to make gains Friday during a respite in the heavy winds that fanned the flames as numerous groups pledged aid to help victims and rebuild, including a $15 million donation pledge from the Walt Disney Co.
More stars learn their homes are gone
While seeing the remains of his home, Ventimiglia was struck by a connection to his "This Is Us" character, Jack Pearson, who died after inhaling smoke in a house fire. "It's not lost on me life imitating art."
Mandy Moore, who played Ventimiglia's wife on "This Is Us," nearly lost her home in the Eaton fire, which scorched large areas of the Altadena neighborhood. She said Thursday that part of her house is standing but is unlivable, and her husband lost his music studio and all his instruments.
Mel Gibson's home is "completely gone," his publicist Alan Nierob confirmed Friday. The Oscar winner revealed the loss of his home earlier Friday while appearing on Joe Rogan's... Read More