Director Sean Thonson has joined the filmmaking collective Bullitt for U.S. representation spanning commercials and branded content. Thonson has brought his storytelling and visual acumen to a wide variety of advertisers, helming ambitious narratives for high-profile automakers, taking us on journeys for travel and tourism marketing, and making docu shorts for lifestyle brands. Among the clients he’s directed for are Mercedes-Benz, Alfa Romeo, JP Morgan, Travel Alberta and BC Tourism.
“Sean is an incredible filmmaker and storyteller who has an impressive array of skill in his craft as a director/DP, and is also an accomplished stills photographer. His technical and visually arresting work has always been something I’ve admired and respected,” said Luke Ricci, president of Bullitt.
Thonson related, “I’ve known Bullitt’s work for quite a while–high intensity, courageous and large scale projects that I admired and felt connected to. I had immediate rapport with Luke–and with mutual interests and perspectives on filmmaking, the timing just felt right to join together.”
Thonson grew up–quite literally–with a camera in his hands. His father taught graphic design and photography at Humboldt State University, and the young Thonson took advantage of his dad’s knowledge (and his dark room) to begin a lifelong study of light and composition. His passion led him to a degree from Art Center College of Design and on to a successful career as a photographer and then as a director/cinematographer.
Woven into Thonson’s striking narratives is the ongoing exploration of the great outdoors and shooting action in nature. To that end, Thonson has traversed the globe in the tireless pursuit of the perfect shot and a fresh perspective–from the peaks of the Rocky Mountains, to the starkly beautiful landscape of Iceland and the lush environment of Brazil. He always scouts with a camera at the ready, prepared to capture the moment as it strikes, especially in remote locations.
Prior to joining Bullitt, Thonson was handled by Wondros for spotmaking and branded content.
Full Lineup Set For AFI Fest; Official Selections Span 44 Countries, Include 9 Best International Feature Oscar Submissions
The American Film Institute (AFI) has unveiled the full lineup for this year’s AFI Fest, taking place in Los Angeles from October 23-27. Rounding out the slate of already announced titles are such highlights as September 5 directed by Tim Fehlbaum, All We Imagine As Light directed by Payal Kapadia, The Luckiest Man in America directed by Samir Oliveros (AFI Class of 2019), Zurawski v. Texas from executive producers Hillary Clinton, Chelsea Clinton and Jennifer Lawrence and directors Maisie Crow and Abbie Perrault, and Oh, Canada directed by Paul Schrader (AFI Class of 1969). A total of 158 films are set to screen at the 38th edition of AFI Fest.
Of the official selections, 48% are directed by women and non-binary filmmakers and 26% are directed by BIPOC filmmakers.
Additional festival highlights include documentaries Architecton directed by Victor Kossakovsky; Cheech & Chong’s Last Movie directed by David Bushell; Devo directed by Chris Smith about the legendary new wave provocateurs; Gaucho Gaucho directed by Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw; Group Therapy directed by Neil Berkeley with Emmy® winner Neil Patrick Harris and Tig Notaro; No Other Land directed by a Palestinian-Israeli team comprised of Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor and Hamdan Ballal; Pavements directed by Alex Ross Perry; and Separated directed by Errol Morris. Notable narrative titles include Black Dog (Gou Zen) directed by Guan Hu; Bonjour Tristesse directed by Durga Chew-Bose with Academy Award® nominee Chloë Sevigny; Caught By The Tides directed by Jia Zhangke; Hard Truths directed by Mike Leigh with... Read More