Biscuit Filmworks has brought commercial director Damien Shatford aboard its roster for U.S. and U.K. representation.
Rupert Reynolds-Maclean, managing director at Biscuit Filmworks U.K., said of Shatford, “His comic timing and instincts towards storytelling and directing are second to none. His work always feels fresh while having a polished familiarity to it that I think clients and agencies in this part of the world will love. I can’t wait for us to start working together.”
Shawn Lacy, co-founder, Biscuit Filmworks, said, “We love Damien’s distinct filmmaking voice and couldn’t be more excited to work with him at Biscuit. His ability to execute each project brilliantly, with such hilarious results, will serve him well in the U.S. market.”
Hailing from Christchurch, New Zealand, Shatford dropped out of school early and started working in kitchens. While sweating his way from dish-boy to sous-chef, he was making music videos for his band which led to making music videos for other bands. And by the age of 20, he threw in the dishtowel to study film at The New Zealand Broadcasting School.
Shatford’s recent spot for Macpac, “Weather Anything,” out of The Monkeys Melbourne featured actors hanging precariously from the side of a very real mountain. He masterfully subverted a cinematic trope with a deadpan Kiwi delivery and made one cliffhanger of an ad. Other notable client work includes Uber Eats, Toyota, TVNZ+, and Chorus.
His award-winning campaigns like the ridiculously funny R&B love ballad, “I’m Drinking It for You,” for New Zealand brewer DB Export, and his zombie-romp for L&P soda, set to Sheryl Crow’s “All I Wanna Do,” showcase his eye for great casting. Shatford has garnered many industry accolades, including Cannes Lions, D&AD Pencils, Clios and Webbys.
Shatford had previously been repped in the U.S. and U.K. by Sweetshop, which continues to handle him in the Southern Hemisphere.
“I love collaborating with clever humans. Whether it’s funny creatives trying to push boundaries, smart clients who give us their trust, or actors and crew that want to make their best work. I’m inspired by what’s possible when the right team has been assembled–much like the 1998 film, Armageddon,” said Damien. “I’ve been a Biscuit fanboy for over a decade. They’re very clever humans and I can’t wait to see what happens next!”
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