Bicoastal production company Durable Goods has signed director/cinematographer Adriano Falconi for exclusive representation in North America. He has helmed campaigns for such brands as HP, Tesla, Infiniti, UGF and Volkswagen.
“Adriano is a creative and inventive filmmaker,” said Mike Brady, executive producer at Durable Goods. “His ability to tell compelling emotional stories connects with the viewer, and helps to cut through the clutter. It’s obvious that he has a unique sensibility to his emotional insights and storytelling, and his cinematography is both beautiful and immediate at the same time.”
Born in Milan, Falconi attended film school where he also completed studies in fine arts. He rose through the ranks in the camera department, starting in Milan, and later, throughout Europe. In 2000, he moved to Los Angeles, where he made his home for the next 10 years, before moving to the East Coast for its ease of access to Europe. Since 2004, he has made a name for himself as a director, working on commercials worldwide for such agencies as Havas, Publicis, BBDO, DDB, McCann, BETC, and Saatchi & Saatchi, among others. Prior to joining Durable Goods, Falconi had been repped by Concrete + Clay in the U.S. market.
Most recently, Falconi completed a short film called Thomas, which he conceptualized and directed as a spec piece for The Trevor Project. The film is currently being submitted to a number of international film festivals.
“I’m excited to see where my partnership with Durable Goods takes me, especially as brands and agencies embrace commercials and content that articulates the human experience in a way that’s reflective of our changing world,” adds Falconi. “This is the kind of work I gravitate towards as a director. It’s never easy, but if you surround yourself with partners and talent who are as committed as you are to going the extra mile, magical things happen. Durable Goods and its clients provide a strong foundation for me to tap into that magic more than ever before.”
Falconi is also represented by Eddy.TV in France, The Box Films in Italy, and Hoben.TV for the UK and Europe.
Review: Director James Watkins’ “Speak No Evil”
Quick. Has there ever been a horror film set in a country home with a decent cell signal?
Nope, and there's no signal at Paddy and Ciara's house, either, deep in the English countryside. Soon, that land line will be cut, too, but we're getting ahead of ourselves.
Paddy and Ciara are that fun-but-somewhat-odd British couple whom Louise and Ben, early in "Speak No Evil," meet on their idyllic Tuscan family holiday. Americans based in London, Louise and Ben are at loose ends, with both job and relationship issues. And so, when the new acquaintances write to invite them for a country weekend, they decide to go.
After all, how bad could it be?
Don't answer that. There are many such moments in the first two-thirds of "Speak No Evil," a Hollywood remake of the 2022 Danish film, here starring a deeply menacing James McAvoy. Moments where Louise and Ben, out of mere politeness and social convention, act against their instincts, which tell them something is wrong – very wrong.
Director James Watkins and especially his excellent troupe of actors, adult and children alike, do a nice job of building the tension, slowly but surely. Until all bloody hell breaks loose, of course. And then, in its third act, "Speak No Evil" becomes an entertaining but routine horror flick, with predictable results.
But for a while, it's a way more intelligent film. And the jumpy moments work — I'll confess to literally springing out of my seat when someone uneventfully turned on a power drill.
We begin in stunning Tuscany, where Louise (Mackenzie Davis, in the film's most accessible and empathetic performance) and Ben (Scoot McNairy, all nerves and insecurity) are vacationing with 11-year-old daughter Agnes (Alix West Lefler). At the pool, they... Read More