Partner/Editor Marco Perez of bicoastal Union has entered the summer season with two esteemed honors for films he edited: UNCERTAIN has been selected by the Sundance Institute for its July 4-12 Documentary Edit and Story Lab; and THE AUDITION won Best Foreign Film at the 10th Annual Downtown Short Film Festival.
A tender, humorous southern gothic tale, UNCERTAIN (co-directed by Anna Sandilands & Ewan McNicol) is set on the shores of a dying lake where neighbors in the once outlaw town of Uncertain, Texas, are haunted by their pasts and battling demons for a future more certain. “I'm very proud of this film, and so excited about flying to Park City for the Lab,” said Perez, who, along with the film’s directors, is among 20 Fellows representing eight documentary film projects to participate in the 2014 Documentary Edit and Story Labs at the Sundance Resort in Utah. These are part of 10 residential Labs hosted by Sundance Institute this summer, collectively representing 15 weeks of residency support and mentorship for the most promising new independent film and theatre projects from the United States and around the world.
THE AUDITION, which also screened in competition at the 70th edition of the Venice Film Festival, is rife with smoldering tension as an actor and actress recite what may or may not be scripted dialogue during a screen test. The film was written and directed by Michael Haussman, with whom Perez has collaborated on numerous spot projects including campaigns for Norton Utilities (GREY/SF), Haagen-Dazs and Specialized Bikes (both via Goodby).
“Ours is a close collaboration with a lot of planning before the shoot and a lot of freedom in the edit room,” explained Perez of his work with Haussman on THE AUDITION. “However, it was very challenging to remove anything because the actors were so wonderful. Their chemistry and angst draws you in unexpectedly. The acknowledgment by the Downtown Short Film Festival is fantastic.”
Perez’s longform work has proved a nice complement to his commercial endeavors this year. With fellow Union partner/editor Sloane Klevin, he co-edited the movie X/Y, which premiered at the 13th Tribeca Film Festival in the World Narrative competition. On the film, Piers Williams directs and stars alongside America Ferrera, Amber Tamblyn and Melonie Diaz in a character-driven drama centered around four restless New Yorkers, and their shifting sexual and romantic relationships as they search for a sense of intimacy and self-identity. Perez also edited “The Roper”, director Ewan McNicol’s award-winning documentary short about a black man with hip-hop and zydeco roots who takes on the local, all-white rodeo circuits in the Deep South, as he dreams of competing in the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. The film screened in the Short Film program at Sundance this year and was honored with “Best Documentary: Individual Episode” at the 17th annual Webby Awards.
Perez’s recent work includes the worldwide campaign for Marriott (Grey), a Honda campaign (RPA), Norton Utilities (GREY/SF) and a music video for Mary J. Blige. He joined Union Editorial in 2009, and was named partner in 2013.
About Union
Union Editorial has offices in Santa Monica, CA, New York City, and London, where it maintains an alliance with Marshall Street Editors. The company is presided over by Partner/Executive Producers Michael Raimondi and Caryn Maclean. The Union roster is comprised of Partner/Editors Jim Haygood, Einar, Jay Friedkin, Sloane Klevin, Marco Perez, and editors Nico Alba, Jinx Godfrey, Nicholas Wayman-Harris, Rachael Waxler, Daniel Luna, Jason Lucas, Laura Milstein, Eric Argiro, Mike Colao, Lawrence Young, and select projects with Tim Thornton Allen, Jono Griffith/Circus and Alex Hagon/Circus. www.UnionEditorial.com