Washington Square Films has signed director Rudolf Peter Kiss for his first U.S. commercial representation. Harnessing a background in cinematography to discover beauty in stolen moments through visually rich narratives, Kiss has worked with international brands such as Telekom, Vodafone, Telenor, Nespresso, Tesco and Audi. His most recent project is a powerful short film for World Down Syndrome Day that opens viewers’ eyes to the need for educational advocates for the Down syndrome community.
“When I saw Rudolf’s World Down Syndrome Day spot I was blown away,” said Jonathan Schwartz, director of sales and marketing for Washington Square Films. “It had strong visuals and great performances in the service of a powerful message. Then I dug into his work and loved it. It’s filled with humanity, a great visual sensibility and consistently wonderful storytelling.”
Kiss added, “Washington Square Films has such a prestigious reputation in both the commercial and feature film spaces. I’m looking forward to partnering with Jonathan and the entire team there to continue to grow in the U.S. market.”
Kiss’ passion for film was ignited early on, voraciously taking in as many films as possible under the counter in his mother’s video store as a child. After beginning his studies in philosophy at the University of Szeged in Hungary, he went on to graduate from the prestigious University of Theatre, Film and Television in Budapest as a director and DP. He got his start shooting and directing music videos, organically making his way into the commercial space working with such brands as McDonald’s, Tesco and Vodafone.
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